Happiness

Everyone wants to be happy. When you feel that way, all is well. However, it is an elusive feeling for many as things rob us of consistent happiness. So how can we gain and maintain it? First some things to examine.

1) Expectation. If expectations are high, then they are usually not realised and that leads to disappointment. Have lower expectations about life because many things are not as good as we would like.

2) Material aspirations. Society encourages us to want more, which is related to the last point. Advertisers assure us happiness comes from owning nice things. False. Once are basic needs are met, more things do nothing to make us feel better. In fact they can add worry, and load pressure on us to earn more to pay for it all.

3) Pleasures. This again may overlap with the previous point, but not always. Pleasure can include meeting material wants, but it covers so much more. Even if pleasures are inexpensive or free, they may not bring the happiness we sought. Inappropriate or selfish pursuits will leave us empty, hurt, and hurting others along the way. Wholesome fun in moderation will give us satisfaction.

I guess nothing discussed here is groundbreaking in content. It is too often ignored though, and doing that will fail to bring what they were supposed to do. A self-centred way of living will not bring us happiness. A simple, caring and giving lifestyle does.

PS. Reading the Bible portion of Matthew chapters 5 to 7 puts it much better than I do.