On Happiness...

I had some trouble writing this, and in fact rewrote this post several times. So I apologize for the delay. Let me know if it resonates with you or if it doesn't.

So it would be impossible for me to write one blog post on something like happiness and think that I have covered all that I feel on the topic. I do know that happiness will probably be a recurring theme in many of my posts though, and I'd like to posit a question or two about it.

Why is happiness so important?

It is so important that it was decided that it should be one of our three inalienable rights. Nothing should get in the way of our pursuit of happiness as citizens of the United States... in theory. It's funny because I actually think liberty, or freedom, encompasses our other two rights just fine: Freedom to live, freedom to pursue happiness; in short, freedom to do as we please. But I digress.

What does happiness mean to you?

To me, happiness can be the result of an experience: getting a new toy as a kid, new clothes, a car, graduating high school or college, getting married, etc. Happiness can also be a state of being, the level of which may be different for different people. For some, it may be loving everyday of your life. For others, it may have to do with merely being content. For others still, it may mean to just not be depressed.

How can we achieve happiness?

Happiness comes with a certain sense of fulfillment. There is personal fulfillment that brings us happiness, as well as fulfillment relative to others. For example, much of the things that contribute to our happiness as U.S. citizens do not contribute to the happiness of, say, the Dogon people. This is particularly important to me because I often feel we, as privileged U.S. citizens, impose our perceptions of happiness, based on our traditions and values, on people of other nations who have dissimilar traditions and values. However, I digress again.

We can see now that happiness can mean several things, and can be the result of passive as well as active events. What people are typically more concerned about is how to actively be happy: again the "pursuit" of this happiness.

I stated in my last post that I believe some sort of search awaits all of us at some point in our lives. We may go on multiple searches, and these searches may manifest themselves differently for different people. The object being sought could be concrete and material for some, a person maybe for others, or an idea, skill, or feeling for still more people. But it is our choice whether we want to take part in that search or not. By doing so, we advance our cognition and learn, whether it be about our surroundings, other people, or ourselves and our values and beliefs. Nonetheless, while in that search, we are in a state of want... a period of unrest.

It is not until we find what we are seeking that we can reap the happiness that comes with this fulfillment. It is that period between searches that perhaps we are indeed the happiest. When we are not concerned with learning. When we are confident in our knowledge. And perhaps more importantly, secure in our ignorance.

I believe this quality is what separates doers from thinkers. Productive people from the lethargic. The great from the mediocre.

Still, these are incomplete thoughts. I plan to revisit some of these ideas and claims, but for now, I'd like to know what you think.