Ultimately, the first option... But that does not mean you cannot realize anything. It's like if someone put a 'kick me' sign on your back. Just because you didn't realize it at first, doesn't mean it wasn't there. And after you do realize it's there, nothing has really changed. ^Maybe you will find the Universe kicking you less.
The universe has never kicked me. It's signs are full of beauty that can be used for cures, understanding, or growth, not violence. The kicking is left to humans.
In this context, kicking = suffering. So yeah, the Universe has never really kicked anyone... But good luck convincing anyone of this...
Knowledge is one of the most liberating things I've experienced. Not sure why you equate searching for truth to suffering..
Is that what I said? But to want is to suffer. If you do not feel you don't know the truth, then there is no need to search for it.
I must have misinterpretted the searching for signs/suffering analogy. Sorry brotha. I guess everyone's different.. I enjoy the hunt for objective fact. I've tried to be complacent, but my mind just wants to learn.
It depends on how you go about learning... if you are looking to find the answer, that certain information, that will free your mind and allow for happiness, then you may not find what you're looking for. But if you learn things the way people go skiing, you may have better luck. People do not go skiing to be a happy person at the end of the day- they just go skiing for the sake of skiing, because it's fun. So, just learn for the enjoyment of learning, but do not expect to find some grand truth that will make you a happier person.
I just want to be happy so I do what makes me happy. At the end of the day, learning is only a part of what makes me happy.