I read something once
that said happiness is about stringing together those little moments of joy,
rather than having everything in your life fit together perfectly. I don’t really know what happiness is, but I’m
finding out more each day. Happiness is
what gets you out of bed in the morning, makes you drink more alcohol than is
healthy for your liver, and urges you to meet that girl on OKCupid, even though
the last time you met someone you accidentally told them you were a stripper
because you had to fill the awkward silence with something. I am not actually a stripper.
Maybe happiness is the
final state of mental accomplishment, the ultimate motivator. Every person at every stage in their life is
working towards finding it or finding out how to find it. Maybe happiness is about trying, about taking
risks and going for your dreams. Maybe
you are only likely to find it if you never give up.
Maybe happiness is
something we are always chasing. Maybe
it’s something we can never catch, but we will always have as the end
goal. In this way, it’s what keeps us
running, even after our bodies are exhausted and our minds have given up the
race. Maybe it’s actually the chase that
keeps us happy while we try to find whatever it is we are trying to catch.
But maybe a
never-ending chase after something we don’t have isn’t a good idea. If we’re always trying to get something we
haven’t got yet, I don’t see how we can ever be happy. Always wanting more is a surefire way to
improve ourselves, but it’s also a surefire way to never be happy with what we
have. Maybe sometimes we need to stop
chasing and just stretch our muscles.
A few weeks ago, my
roommate had some friends over. We drank
spiked tea and lay around our apartment under a veil of alcohol and laughter. We lit candles, drank more tea, and dissolved
into a daze of feeling and sound. Maybe
happiness was about forgetting to find happiness and just living life. Maybe sometimes we just have to appreciate
what we have in the present. Our friend
took out a guitar and began to play, her soft voice echoing throughout the
otherwise silent apartment. I smiled,
closed my eyes, and realized that in this moment, all I needed was this.
Also posted here: http://thoughtcatalog.com/brian-wong/2013/10/you-will-find-happiness-in-the-end/
Also posted here: http://thoughtcatalog.com/brian-wong/2013/10/you-will-find-happiness-in-the-end/
Happiness is an emotional reaction to an instance for just a moment. It's temporary. You may be happy for that moment, for example, because you enjoy your food, you bought an item which makes you feel happy, like buying a car for most people. Some one praises you and you gain approval and thus spirit lifted. Contentment is more lasting. Contentment implies satisfaction, lacking nothing (may not be permanent) unless you are content most of the time then you have no frustrations and desiring nothing more.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on your attitude and your perspective. It's not hard to attain.
First off, I would like to reply to the anonymous reader. The feeling one gets from buying a car or a item does not bring happiness but rather it brings instant gratification, which will ultimately subsides. Happiness should be defined by the person who is defining it. To me, happiness is working toward goals and achieving them. To me, happiness is being with the ones I love and protecting them from harm ways. To me, happiness is learning to be okay with myself, inside and out.
ReplyDeleteThe act of being content with oneself only brings instant gratification because it excludes the notion of hope. Hope gets one out of bed every morning. Hope brings people together to work towards a common goal. Hope allows one to have the courage to face oneself for a better future. Hope is happiness.