So I was creeping on someone's Facebook today (since, of course, I had given creeping up for Lent and I'm lame and do the Sunday rule) and stumbled across a blog they had started about 2 years ago. I won't mention who it is, though if by the slim, SLIM chance that person is reading this blog, I would just like to say thanks for the inspiration! (And I was totally creeping on you... obviously. But I hope you don't mind.)
Anyways, all of the posts had to do with happiness - the pursuit, the wrong ways to find it, finding happiness in others, etc. It really made me think. And of course, me taking a break from writing my paper for Italian turned into a much longer break than I probably should have taken. I don't know this person very well, but just reading it made me gain some respect for the person, as well, because I really liked their ideas. And it made me want to blog about it for myself, since I haven't given my brain spillage in quite some time.
So the pursuit of happiness. It's our inherent desire to be happy, and we each find happiness in different things. Our passions drive us to find that happiness wherever we may choose to go. I, personally, have a passion for people and their happiness. It is one of the reasons why I want to become a therapist - to make people happy. Others may have a passion for sports, music, writing, anything really. And that's all you really have to do - find a passion and shoot for it.
In some cases, this pursuit of happiness includes the wrong things; trying to find happiness in money or relationships or material possessions. The phrase transforms from "I'm happy" to "I'm happy that I'm better than you." And honestly, that isn't real happiness.
"Success" is another word that can easily be played around with. What is "success?" To me, success is subjective. I always thought of a successful person not as someone with millions of dollars, or a top-of-the-food-chain job, or a superstar spouse, but a person that was genuinely happy with their life and who was in it. A successful person works with what they are given and is simply okay with that. No ifs, ands, or buts. So who are we to say that someone is successful if they aren't even happy with it?
There's that word again. Happy.
Granted, some people may be happy with tons of money, and I hope that someday they realize that isn't what life is all about. But until then, they can just burn holes in their pockets and build fake friendships, because that's all that will really amount of their life.
That's just my opinion.
Which leads me to my next point: other people. Are others a facet of your happiness? Or can you lead a happy life on your own? Social interaction does something. Unless you have some sort of social phobia, social interaction is like chocolate: it just DOES something to you. It warms your heart and people can see it from the glint in your eyes. Laughter is the natural medicine - the one proven medication for ANYTHING and it has no harmful side effects. Isn't it amazing? And when you're happy, others are, too - and sometimes it can just be because you're radiating that happiness like sunlight. Happiness is reciprocal.
Sometimes we're attracted to people that bring out those qualities in us. The ones that can bring out the natural sunlight within us. That's where the best marriages and friendships come from - the ones that won't rain on our parade.
Okay, I'm done with the weather puns. I'm sorry.
So how do we achieve this ultimate happiness? That's something I've been wondering. It's a tough concept to grasp for me - is it even achievable? Of course it is. Sit and think for a moment about a time that you were genuinely happy - you had other things going on in your life, bad things, stressful things, but it didn't matter. At that one moment, nothing could bring you down. And once you've reached that high, and you come back down from it, you'll do anything to get it back. After all, now we know how it feels. Once it slips away, it's not gone forever - just for the moment. We need to hit the lows sometimes to get back to the highs. That's what makes the highs worthwhile.
Rx: Laughter
Side effects: Side stitches, pain in your cheeks, and watery eyes.
Cost: Priceless
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