Happiness

Happiness is the central virtue and summum bonum of the Antisense universe. It features in both the Antisense Unconditionals and is thus the foundation of life in the survivarium.

The First Antisense Unconditional states : 'Child, you exist to be happy.' Zigsa defines happiness as the state of the baby in the womb, where nurture and protection are perfect and all needs are met before they arise. Once born, of course, the baby loses that state, but it is now the duty of the adults around her to be her 'womb and placenta' or protectors and nurturers. The central moral imperative of Antisense is not to break happiness, whether one's own or another's. Happiness may break due to factors beyond human control, because 'the wheel must turn', but never because of the deliberate actions of a Survivor. If happiness is broken, karma provides methods and practices to mend it again, and all broken happiness must be mended before the tears dry.

The Second Antisense Unconditional states, 'The meaning of happiness changes as you age.' In other words, people must always get up and chase their happiness: if they stagnate, they will lose it. However, happiness is never perfect in the absolute sense, because change is inevitable and must bring sadness with it. Happiness is only perfect in the pinch, the two sides of the pinch being protection and nurture, and when they touch, then all is well. Since people cannot keep the pinch tight at all times, that is where community comes in: our friends and brooders keep the pinch tight for us while we rest.

The Antisense principle of happiness is opposed to the hanyo idea of winning, which is the summum bonum instead of happiness in hanyo town.