I have always wondered what it takes to be happy. I've long had discussions with friends about the subject but we can never truly agree on even the definition. Our discussions sound a lot like this " I think happiness is what you feel when there isn't sorrow or unsurmountable adversity in your life" argued one. The other disagreed by saying that there are people who manage to be happy with a lot of pain and hardship in their daily life. Happiness seems to mean something different for everyone.
What does it take to be happy? Like any question one doesn't have a clear answer to I decided to google it, and again it seemed like everyone had a different opinion on what happiness is. As the reader what do you envision when asked what makes you happy? what's the first thing that you think of? did you think of a family member, your significant other, your pet? or maybe you envisioned a perfect vacation. The feeling seems to be short lived most the time in our current culture, and it seems that less and less people are happy even though we have better opportunities to become it than most people on the planet .
We are always looking for the next great thing in our world and only the best and the newest will make us happy, We don't seem to appreciate the present. While elsewhere people are overjoyed by less,and cherish whatever they can get their hands on. For most cases it seems to be true; the more you have the more you want. It would almost seems like success would equate to unhappiness in the long term for us, leaving us seeking more. In some occasions we seem happiest before we obtain whatever it is we think is going to make us happy. Think of people who collect cards or model trains or some hobby of the sort, once their collection is complete, whats next for them? Depression. Once we achieve our goal the excitement is over. We constantly need new challenges and overcoming those challenges seems make us happy again. If there are no obstacles and all our goals are easily achievable things become pointless and bland. Imagine being the best team by a mile in your sports league, sure it might be exciting at first but you will start to really crave competition. Does that disprove my friends theory about happiness and lack of adversity?
I once heard an interesting fable about us searching and chasing happiness. It told of a cat who was trying to tell his cat friend that the key to his happiness is his tail, and once he finally gets a hold of it, he will then truly be happy. His cat friend seemed to agree with him for the most part, the tail is the key to happiness for him too; and it seemed that as long as he did whatever he wanted to do and lived his life the tail always followed him. So should we search for happiness or will it just come to us. Is there a man on top of a mountain who will give us the answer?
Some people are impossible to please, their outlook on life almost never positive, yet some normal people just like us manage to always be full of joy and happiness, like it's their natural set state. What do those people know or do that can keep their spirits high so much of the time. For some people happiness seems to come from their faith and beliefs, they believe that no matter what negative event is happening currently in their life, It too will pass. "Everything will be all right in the end. If it's not all right it's not the end" that quote seems to describe how some peoples outlook, some sort of external force whether god or whatever they believe in working for them and helping them through it all.
Does money make people happier? I would say so; at least in short term it will. Yet you look at so many people who are so wealthy and you can't understand why they seem so unhappy, and you think to yourself; if I was that rich theres no way I could not be happy with my life, probably the same thing they thought before making it big. Some people think they will only achieve happiness once they meet their husband or wife, they only will feel true happiness when they feel loved, and science seems to agree, we do have a strong need of belonging. There are reoccurring themes with people and happiness, When asked what would make them happy, like we mentioned wealth is a big one , for some its fame, for some is love. Yet for some its something just as small as having a daily meal, an extra serving of water and seeing their family in good health.
So there appears to be many paths to happiness, a lot of our beliefs about the sources that will bring us it, seem to work but only short term. After exploring the subject It seems to me that one of the biggest links to happiness is having great goals ahead of you, we need something positive to look forward to. In the future we seem to look happiest.
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