Tuesday 11 December 2007

In Search of Happiness


High up on the list of prized possessions, with Health is Happiness. If you have health and happiness in your life, you have two of the most formidable qualities in your life. You will be able to conquer the highest mountain you set your mind on.

All of us seek happiness – kings, peasants, rich men, poor men, all alike. Without happiness, life would be miserable and meaningless. It is not for nothing that the search for happiness is considered by some to be the ‘Supreme Search’, and achieving happiness considered as the ‘Greatest Achievement’ in life.

All of us want to be happy, and free of suffering. Nobody wants to be sad, miserable and unhappy. The desire for happiness, undoubtedly, is the fundamental goal of every man. If a person has happiness, he has the life-power to live fully. He is alive, so to speak.

People around us laugh and look happy. But for some, their laughter is less than hearty. It sounds hollow and faked. They give the impression that they are happy, but if you were to observe closely, you will discover an undercurrent of sadness. Their happiness is ‘of the moment’. Once the ‘moment’ is over, they are again dissatisfied, sad, unhappy, depressed….

It is difficult to say what makes a person happy. Some people, with their millions of dollars are no more happier than those who have to scrape a living. The successful career-man is not necessarily happier than the labourer digging by the side of the road under the hot sun.

Why are some people happier than others? What is their secret? Why is happiness so elusive? Where can happiness be found? How can one be happy? What is the definition of happiness? And most importantly - Are you Happy?

Since happiness is so important to us, we should invest some time to think about how we can achieve happiness, how we can be happy.

2 comments:

Sue said...

Happiness is quite elusive and hard to plan for. Sometimes it seems that you can try and plan for it and all your plans fail, but then when you least expect it, it is there.

I have some vague memory of a quote that goes something like happiness is a bird that if you try to catch, it flies away, but if you sit quietly, it will land on your shoulder -- do you remember a quote like that?

Vincent said...

Hello Sue,

Welcome back.

I don't have the quote you mentioned, but I have three others in similar veins. It will be in my postings in the coming days. Do look out for it.