Happiness is a choice

Every human being in this cosmic space is in search of happiness. Everything we do is to fill up our measure of happiness: go to work, practice hobbies, cultivate friendships, buy things, and reach for dreams. In fact, every thought and decision we make is ultimately for the outcome of our personal happiness. When I consider our current society, I see people riding on one another’s necks and pressing one another to death to get foremost in this race called life. Individualism and cut-throat competition. Yet, people are not satisfied.

I have been a critical observer, thanks to my Sociology studies, there is dissatisfaction all around. Take a keen look at your neighborhood, when you are in town, or at the folks you interact with and crown my statement true. People who own fancy cars like a Bugatti are no happier than owners of a cheap, economical, Indian Maruti. Those who live in bigger expensive apartments are no happier than those who live in smaller ones or shacks. Powerful and influential people who rub shoulders with the higher echelons of the society are no more satisfied than average citizens. Cover girls and models are no happier than plain women; in fact, they may even be less happy.

A counselor once told me that he had a patient who was as beautiful as any woman he had ever seen, in magazines or in the movies. Gorgeous was an understatement. She was intelligent and charismatic. She had both beauty and brains. However, she spent her life being tormented by the mere possibility that she may come across another woman who was more beautiful than her. He also dealt with a large number of extremely wealthy people and observed that they were perhaps some of the most miserable clients that he had ever encountered.

In the autobiography of the famous basketball player Wilt Chamberlain, he wrote he enjoyed sexual relationships with what he guessed to be over a thousand women. One may well guess that some of these women were probably quite good at sensual arts. Why wouldn't ten suffice, or even twenty?

Kings and presidents lust for more power and cause wars. They assassinate and build circles of sycophants but never are they satisfied. The wealthiest embezzle to get more. The greed game with the inverted pyramid of the worlds’ wealth distribution. Even with all they have, they struggle to be happy.

 In our day some of the most influential people have died attempting to fill their void, but in the wrong way. People like Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, and Heath Ledger. We have seen billionaires and even top leaders of nations taking their own lives.

If left untreated, the void of happiness can result not only in the death of oneself but of others as well. I boldly say this, it is usually those who are hurting who hurt others. Truly happy people have no reason but to love and to share it unconditionally.

Everybody is peculiar in their own way. People have different personalities and some are prone to be more optimistic and happier than others. However I would like to emphasize, happiness is primarily what we learn. It is a matter of discarding bad habits and replacing them with good and healthy ones. Simply a choice.

Some people are also born into better circumstances or with better physical conditions than others, but if you choose to apply the principles of happiness that are presented in the book ‘’Adventures of Being’’ written by Alfredo Rubio and seek to live differently from the majority of mankind, you can be happier than those who may have had those things handed to them. The first remedy he presents is that we should appreciate our existence and the circumstances that helped bring us forth. Changing our life is a goal within reach, we can learn from our history and presence instead of living in resentment and blaming others.

The benefits of happiness are all encompassing. Research reveals that happiness promotes enhanced brain function and better memory. On the other hand, depression, fear, and stress paralyze both the mind and the body. Healthy emotion impacts every area of one’s life: mental, physical, financial, etc. When happy, you think and act better. That is why the happier you are the more successful you will be. The reward of our pursuit of happiness is worth its weight in gold—certainly it is a goal worthy of our highest endeavor. If you learn to be happy, you will be more excited, and more successful than you have ever been before.