Happiness: A Global Pursuit

“Happiness is not something ready-made; it comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama

It is a feeling of contentment and joy one gets from positive emotions and actions. It is equally important as other basic needs which include clothing, education, food, shelter, good health which one aspires for, at a minimum level. On one hand, some people don’t even have these basic needs while on the other hand, some people run behind luxuries even after achieving the basic needs. The race of achieving success and aspiring for more in life continues and is never-ending till death. People try to find happiness in materialistic things, and even if they get these things, not everyone achieves happiness and inner peace, thus still fights with mental health issues.

In the process of achieving more, we forget to be happy and grateful for what we have. Happiness is a journey and not a destination. We should count our blessings every day. The definition of happiness is different for everyone. For example, we can see a beggar being happy when he gets a one-time meal while this doesn't work on some rich person. Happiness is totally based on our reactions to situations. We can choose to be happy or not, even in harder times.

Barbara Fredrickson, a social psychologist, has developed a theory suggesting that the function of happiness is to broaden one’s thinking and to build one’s resources. According to this theory, positive emotions lead people to think creatively and to try new things. As a result, happy people can develop new ways to approach the world, new interests, new social relationships, and even new physical skills. All of these effects lead to positive outcomes in people’s lives.

The psychological aspect of happiness is quite important. A healthy and happy mind helps to achieve inner satisfaction and makes life easier. Everyone has complications in life. All that matters is whether you let the negativity hinder your inner peace. We teach students to attend school daily, score good marks and focus on career. We put a lot of pressure on them for the future, but we don’t teach them the path to happiness. People can become unhappy when they start comparing themselves with others. Not having a luxury car like others makes them upset. The fake image of a happening life presented by everyone on social media like Facebook and Instagram is just awful. It’s like a war between people trying to show off despite how lonely, and unhappy they are in real life. It’s a kind of competition now.

Most people believe that it’s better to fake happiness than face reality. It’s because sometimes we can’t accept the fact that something is bothering us and it might affect other people too. It becomes too tough for us to face it and hence we pretend to be happy. Hiding our true feelings and emotions only affects our mental health. Real happiness is when you feel inner satisfaction and joy. Happiness can’t be constant. It is defined by the circumstances you are in.

Also, Happiness is not just an individual phenomenon. It is also a collective phenomenon. It spreads from one person to another. The chain of positivity never breaks. Be mindful, don’t let your mind control you! Don’t let people tell you otherwise! Do things that make you smile! Do what makes you proud! Instead of working according to the external factors, work according to your inner strengths! Go for what makes you feel good, not the family or society or morals. It’s okay if you had a low day or a bad phase! The world is imperfect and obtaining excellence is impossible. There are many uncontrollable factors in this world which will never let us achieve complete contentment, but we can still be happy in what we have. After all, a half-empty glass of water is still half full.

References:

http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/emotions/happiness/

Author:

Darpan Mehandiratta