Happiness, it lies in the present

Happiness is an emotional state that we all desire. Yet very few of us find ourselves in a state of genuine happiness, and even fewer are happy for extended periods of time.

Throughout life, most of us come across the notion of pursuing happiness, implying that it's not permanent. This means that, when one is happy, one is embracing the inevitable prospect of becoming sad, which diminishes the pleasure of being happy at that very moment.

The pursuit of happiness is futile in other respects, too. Consumerism and advertising would have us believe that happiness arises from acquiring new items. The desire to acquire might give us a heightened sense of pleasure, as one experience while under the influence of ecstasy, but this path is nothing more than a happiness treadmill, leading to the undesirable destination of never being completely satisfied with what we have.

Others contend that, once we become successful, we become happy, and that the pursuit of happiness essentially translates into the pursuit of success. Those who pursue this line of reasoning completely overlook the fact that being happy is a conducive condition for achieving success, as we are more determined, productive, and approachable in a happy state than a sad or miserable one. The relationship, it appears, runs the other way.

Psychologists have long researched the causes of happiness. Their findings point to acts of kindness. Sharing food and clothes, giving out hugs, and listening to the concerns of our friends are acts that generate the warm, fuzzy feeling of happiness inside us.

In performing such kind acts, we do not have in mind 'the pursuit of happiness', but rather an eagerness to support and care for those people whom we love. We do not worry about being happy, because we know that happiness will naturally follow suit.

So far, it seems that, in pursuing happiness, it becomes more of destination, than a condition. A destination towards which we approach, but never actually arrive. Even so, the journey is that much better in the company of those we love, and with generosity, kindness, and enthusiasm.

Think about the following:

If we think not about pursuing anything, yet alone happiness, and merely consider this given moment, in which there is no harm, no danger, and no serious concern, and where we can live and breathe and be free in all of our strength, then this is the moment when we are happy.

Put aside your worries about the future. Happiness lies in living and being free in the present.