In our everyday lives, we often hear people talking about the pursuit of happiness. It’s like a golden trophy that everyone is running after. But then there’s hopefulness. It’s like a small seed that grows in your heart. Some might think it is not as shiny as happiness but it’s still something that can keep a person going. So the question is, what should we really be focusing on? Happiness or hopefulness?
When you think about happiness, it often comes as a burst of joy. It’s that feeling when you’re having the time of your life at a party or when you have just got some great news. But happiness can be tricky because it doesn’t always stick around for too long. One minute you can be the happiest person in the world and then, something happens, and it’s gone. It’s like the sun on a cloudy day — you never really know when it will pop out or hide again.
Hopefulness, on the other hand, is like a steady flame that burns within you. It doesn’t light up the whole room in a flash, but it can keep you warm all through a cold night. Hope is what makes you look forwards when the present doesn’t look so great. It’s not about a sudden rush of pleasure but more about a quiet confidence that things can get better. Hope is essential, especially when things are tough. Like when we talk about big issues such as climate change. Some people say we should have courage instead of hope to deal with such big problems. Courage is important, sure, but without hope, it’s hard to keep on fighting, don’t you think?
Some might say that we should aim for contentment rather than happiness. Contentment is when you feel satisfied with what you have. It’s a peaceful feeling. You aren’t jumping around with joy, but you’re okay with how things are. This is nice because you’re not always chasing after the next big thing to make you happy. You just live your life, and you find peace in the small stuff like a nice cup of tea or a good book. It’s a way of thinking that could make life less stressful because you stop looking for happiness in big, shiny moments and start to see it in the everyday small things.
It’s hard to say which one — happiness or hopefulness — is the one to go for. Maybe it’s not really about choosing one over the other. Maybe the trick is to try and have a bit of both. You can look for happy moments in your life and enjoy them when they come. But also, try to be hopeful. Have that flame inside you that says things can get better, that you can overcome the challenges you face and that it’s okay if you’re not bursting with joy all the time. Hope can be just as good as happiness, maybe even better sometimes.
Trying to be hopeful can also improve you as a person. It can make you stronger because you learn to trust that things can get better even if right now they’re not so great. You’re not just waiting for happiness to come and find you. You’re walking towards it, slow and steady. It’s a bit like planting a garden. You don’t just plant flowers and wait. You have to take care of them, give them water, and protect them from the bad weather. And it’s the same with hopefulness. You work on it, and over time it grows, and it helps you through life.
So as you go on with your life, think about those moments of happiness, and enjoy them when they come. But don’t forget to build that hopefulness inside you too. Both hope and happiness are important, but hope can be there for you even when happiness seems to be taking a break. It doesn’t mean that life will always be perfect, but with both hope and happiness, it can be pretty good, and that’s okay too.
Remember, life isn’t a race for happiness. It’s a long journey, and we can make it better by being a little hopeful and finding contentment in what we have while still enjoying those happy moments. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Let’s try to aim for a balance and make our lives and the lives of those around us a bit brighter.
Sources
- https://www.quora.com/Is-it-good-to-want-to-strive-for-happiness-everyday-Is-it-ok-to-want-to-always-be-positive
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7530412/
- https://onbeing.org/blog/kate-marvel-we-need-courage-not-hope-to-face-climate-change/
- https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_if_you_pursued_contentment_rather_than_happiness
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9963575/
