Spirit elating “Happiness”?
Dear who-so-ever,
The face of a child when someone pampers them, that delight when we eat our favorite food, the fulfillment when we earn our first salary, the joy when we are with our friends, the contentment when our loved one is around, do you also define these as Happiness? Happiness is an emotional state including pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. This word is mostly used in relation to two factors :
- The current experience of feeling of an emotion usually pleasure or joy.
- The appraisal of life satisfaction that is subjective well-being.
“Happiness is what I experience here and now” — Daniel Kahneman.
Here and now doesn’t necessarily mean to have whatever we crave for or just the dream of becoming better you. It implies to look at things what we have right now and actually working our dream out. Eating ice-creams, hanging out with friends, buying a new iPhone, finding the significant other are all temporary pleasures. Of course, they make us Happy. But, they don’t reward! Find what makes you both Happy and is Rewarding at the same time. And the answer should give you the Happiness of second factor mentioned above. People chase happiness, chase happiness, keep chasing happiness but never seem to experience it — called the PARADOX OF HEDONISM.
Happiness is like a cat, if you try to coax it or call it, it will avoid you; it will never come. But if you pay no attention to it and go about your business, you’ll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap.
Materialistic things, Money, Taste, Physical pleasure cannot ever be fulfilled because they are not a part of contentment or well-being. But a sage-mode is not what we want. There’s something called Minimalism and so many seem to mistake it. Minimalism is living intentionally with things that we only need for the purpose so as to concentrate more on what matters the most. Its the barrier of distraction from excess possessions — discussion will be made at some point in future.This ain’t a sign to become a minimalist but the point of happiness is a bottomless pit. You can neither be happiest nor be only happy.
Eudaimonia is a classical Greek word translating to ‘happiness’ or ‘flourishing’. This word is broken down to ‘eu’ — good|well-being and ‘daimonia’ — spirit|minor deity. Thus understood, the happy life is the good life, that is, a life in which a person fulfills human nature in an excellent way. According to Aristotle, the life of excellent rational activity is the happy life. Aristotle argued a second best life for those incapable of excellent rational activity was the life of moral virtue.
Different religions approach happiness differently. The one that I found the most apt was The Chinese Confucian theory of happiness. They define humans as “lesser-self” [physiological] and “greater-self” [moral], and that getting the priorities right between these two would lead to Happiness. Another theory that changed my way of approach is The Six-Factor Model of psychology developed by Carol Ryff. Ryff’s model is not based on merely feeling happy, but “where the goal of life isn’t feeling good, but is instead about living virtuously”. Six factors are considered key-elements of psychological well-being:
- Self-Acceptance | I like most aspects of my personality.
- Personal Growth | I think it is important to have new experiences that challenge how you think about yourself and the world.
- Purpose of Life | Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them.
- Environmental Mastery | In general, I feel I am in charge of the situation in which I live.
- Autonomy | I have confidence in my opinions, even if they are contrary to the general consensus.
- Positive Relations with Others | People would describe me as a giving person, willing to share my time with others.
Look at all these doesn’t it give you a familiarity with subjective well-being? Some other words that people connect with happiness are joy, serenity, interest, hope, pride etc… But out of all the most powerful and rewarding is GRATITUDE — a feeling of thankfulness, for something specific or simply all-encompassing, often accompanied by humility and even reverence. Gratitude makes us more positive, helpful, generous, compassionate and forgiving which are great add points to happiness.
Smile is the language of happiness. Laughter and tears of joy are the extreme depiction. The easiest way one can be happy both through lesser and greater self is smiling. Michigan State University, 2011 says people who smile as a result of cultivating positive thoughts can significantly and immediately improve their mood. Not mistaking to smile even at the hardest times. This smile should be a sign of gratitude towards what’s here and now.
The pursuit of happiness is real. We all want to be happy, right?
After all, life’s better when we’re happy, healthy, and successful.
