Contentment

Eastern thought looks on contentment as freedom from all desires and passions, contemplating all that arises in life with perfect equanimity. From this arises universal love and sympathy for all. For Socrates, the secret of happiness lay in faithful performance of life's customary duties; Epicurean contentment was self-sufficiency and the simple life, while Stoicism looked to impassivity and a life of reason in conformity with nature. Judaic thought has emphasized the sense of certainty of divine omniscience and righteousness, while Christianity adds trust in God's love. In the latter case, resignation or submission is an act of sanctified will.