External achievements like fame, wealth, and creative success are entirely separate from genuine happiness. Many of history's most accomplished individuals were deeply unhappy, proving that internal well-being requires wisdom and a capacity to step outside oneself, not just talent or recognition.
While often marketed for stress relief, the deeper purpose of meditation is to produce a radical insight: the persistent feeling of being a separate 'self' or 'ego' is an illusion created by identification with thought. Recognizing this transforms one's entire experience of life.
Constantly trying to suppress negative thoughts is a perpetual struggle you can't win. A more durable solution is to see through the illusion of the 'self' that is supposedly fighting this war. This insight is like capturing the enemy general, ending the conflict without having to defeat every soldier.