The Pursuit for Happiness

I wrote this article for something else..but i post this here

Happiness is the basis of existence of human life on earth. It’s what every human being strives for throughout the life. It defines the purpose of the life. Some search for happiness throughout their life and end up in nothing. Some enjoy the present and is not concerned about the uncertain future. Rather than defining happiness and quantifying it, it would be much sensible to analyze how the humans perceive it.

A set of humans who right from their birth are taught to adapt to the institutionalized society, end up in vicious cycle, one after other, striving for good grade in school in order to secure a place in so called “best universities”, waging a war to secure good percentage in order to get dream offer from some company, trying in every sense to be sincere, honest, flexible to satisfy the employer. Thus their plight to attain happiness goes on and on.

Schools which categorize students based upon grades, colleges continue the same, and employers rewarding the sincere worker etc are not to be blamed. Definitely, it is the only sensible way to live in this world. But the human being, forgets to enjoy the journey, forgets to learn that happiness lie thyself. Humans are taught to or forced to develop goals for the years ahead. For which, they sacrifice the very things that they are head over heels in love with. When they finally achieve it, what they feel is mistaken to be happiness. It’s not happiness. It’s relief. Relief provides the false pretence to the person, making him believe that he/she is happy.

The other type who believe in enjoying the very moment and is unconcerned about the future. A person can’t enjoy, can’t be immersed in pleasure all the time. He/she will get fed up by getting used to it. They will lead a life without any purpose so as to attain the momentary high and thus end up without commitment and any meaning to the very life they live.

Apart from the two classes of people, there are other types of people who neither work towards a goal nor enjoy the moment. They resign to the existence of fate. They enjoy a life seeking happiness from purposelessness and circumventing their energy and everything in wrong channels and end up in absolutely nothing. They always live in the past.

So what takes to be happy? Self help books, articles may advocate about things like “10 ways to attain happiness”,” A guide to happiness”. That’s just their business. As happiness can’t be defined or quantified. Happiness isn’t relative. Happiness isn’t the end in itself. Happiness isn’t the destination. Happiness is the pursuit, the journey. Happiness is that feeling that provides meaning to the very being. Happiness is the felling that is not affected by either the greatest success or the worst failure. Happiness is that you get when you attain the goal that is neither dictated by someone or by the society that is defined by the purpose of life. Happiness is that you get, when you understand the purpose of life, when you unravel the secret of existence of the universe, when you finally believe in God, as you finally forget to breathe, the eternal bliss.