What is Happiness?

Before we answer this question, we should ask ourselves this question instead- What is unhappiness?

Yes, this truly is the case, because as long as we are unhappy about something, the way to happiness and the joy of life can never really be found.

So, what makes us unhappy? We are unhappy when we are unable to have the things we want, the experience we desire and crave. Let's say if this is the case, then let's start with a list of the most common and timelessly acclaimed factors that cause unhappiness in the modern society we live in. Also note that the stated examples are actual scenarios I have observed from real people around me.

1. Money- e.g. An average salaryman works 5 1/2 days a week to earn enough money for proper meals and bills to sustain his family. Even though he doesn't like his job, he leaves home for work early daily , returns late and exhausted at night. Overtime, he seeks pleasures in drinking and late night activities, and vents his anger on his helpless family at the slightest issues.
   
2. Love- e.g. A thoughtful girl who loves her boyfriend deeply feels he no longer understands and pampers her as much as he used to when they first started out dating. Their conversation topics thinned, and the simplest of questions from her would even annoy him sometimes. She sobbed in silence, and faced the dilemma whether she should leave or stay the relationship.
3. Social Stress- e.g. A girl, born with a generally less attractive exterior tries hard to blend in with the group. But no matter how hard she tries, the attention and favor of her friends naturally turn to her other better looking friends. Under their company, she begins to feel extremely left out and lonely.
   
4. Health- e.g. A young and happy family man suddenly became strickened with kidney failure. Day by day his strength fails and the pain worsens. To seek treatment, he spends more money and time at the hospital than with his own family. From an optimistic man, he became downcast and sees no purpose in life.

One may think that happiness varies from person to person, which is true. But in general, happiness can be categorized into 2 very broad types:

1. Happiness of Obtaining
2. Happiness of Foregoing

To start, let's look at the first kind- Happiness of Obtaining. This type of happiness is more intense, the type that most people seek and define to be the true meaning of happiness. It basically refers to the happiness of having something you want. Yet at the same time, it is also the mirror of intense unhappiness that weigh down many people today, leading to stress problems and in worse cases, depression and extreme anxiety. Simply put, it is the other side to Happiness gained from Obtaining.


The second type of happiness is rarer and harder to obtain, one that very few people can relate or understand. It is the happiness of letting go of your desires by thoroughly understanding their true underlying nature. This joy comes genuinely from your heart.