Some of the most fundamental of human rights are the rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (according to the American Declaration of Independence at least). I’m sure most, if not all, of us would agree to the Life and Liberty part of that quote but where things start to get dicey for me is at the Pursuit of Happiness.
When you really think about it, it’s a truly frightening turn of phrase because:
What is Happiness?
How does one pursue it?
How does one know when they have gotten a hold of it?
Personally, I have an uneasy relationship with Happiness. Whenever I feel happy for extended periods of time, I have to stop and ask myself if I feel so upbeat because I’m truly happy or because I’m about to have a manic episode?
However, even taking that into consideration, I believe if you perceive Happiness as something you are in pursuit of, it will remain ever elusive and out of your reach. Why? Because Happiness is not tangible and in the way of intangible things, it will slip through your fingers even as you so desperately try to hold on to it. I don’t even believe Happiness is a feeling, or at least it shouldn’t be just a feeling as feelings are notoriously flighty and fleet-footed.
I believe Happiness is a choice. A choice to be present in the moment and appreciate those things and people in the moment with you. Even if you’re alone with not much to seemingly be happy about, you can still be happy because if your Happiness is a choice, it is not dependent on external things or factors that are more often than not out of your control.
Besides, constant Happiness is a fallacy. To paraphrase OutKast,
“If Nothing lasts forever, then what makes Love (or Happiness) the exception?”
You’ll probably experience more turbulence chasing after Happiness than you would rolling with Life’s punches. So don’t chase Happiness, choose it and I hope with these few words of mine, I have been able to convince you and not confuse you to
if you haven’t already and be sure to tell your friends!
On that note, Peace and Happy Feet.
I agree, happiness can be constant depending on how you want it to be. Knowing the source of your happiness should be more internally generated than externally sourced makes a big difference
I kept thinking of Kid Cudi and his song "Pursuit of Happiness" as I read through. Good stuff!