Reflection: Happiness

The purpose of life seems to be obscured, and it is the nature of human kind to attempt to achieve happiness. Yet many nowadays, in their actions, do not seem to be achieving happiness. There are people who work hours and hours of hard, physical labor just to earn money. Parents and students worry about getting into a good college, getting a good job. Why? Because we think getting a good job will earn us money, and money will lead us to a happy life.

But does money actually lead to happiness? To a certain degree, yes, but some studies have shown that after a certain amount of income, the happiness of an individual does not seem to correlate with the amount of money they earn—a millionaire could report less happiness than a high school teacher. But what is happiness? It seems as if so many things are associated with happiness that it becomes more of an emotion but not just a goal, but a symbol of good life. But happy, as defines, is just an emotion that occurs in our brain similar to anger, greed, or hatred. But happy is a broad term. There does not seem to be a clear definition of the word happy, yet everyone seems to know how to use it. They seem to know when they are happy, and when they are not.

So what is happiness? It is hard to describe the exact qualities of happiness, as happiness an adjective in itself. However, we can describe situations or patterns in which we do have happiness, and conclude what happiness is from those patterns: an induction of sorts. I believe that a desire fulfilled brings happiness. Happiness is a result of a human desire that is fulfilled in a certain way. This is a rather obvious way to obtain happiness, as it is something we have all experienced before. However, there are other ways of achieving happiness. One way is what I would call 'complete focus', or hyperfocus, in more scientific terms. It seems that, under a state of intense focus, we do not require any desire or need met, we are simply just happy. It is why some people enjoy working, or thinking, such as philosophers, mathematicians, etc.

The last one seems to be more complicated than the previous two—it is the unexplained happiness at hearing, seeing, or experiencing a certain thing that has nothing to do with desire. There are certain people who experience immense happiness when hearing a preacher preach, or when hearing a Buddhist Monk preach. It seems as though we simply just derive happiness from these events. Usually it is related to some sort of religion, but sometimes it does not. Sometimes we could just sit there and be happy. It is hard to explain, but it is there.

Out of the three, the first two can be achieved through our own work, while the last comes from sheer luck and coincidence. To achieve happiness in life, we need to fulfill our desires on a basical level first, from the bodily needs, to the love and care, to social needs, and finally to aspirations. Each of these provide, at least, a different type of happiness. The second can be achieved through sheer will of mind and focus, and provides a higher level of happiness than just fulfilling our desires. The last one is a simple, ecstatic, state that one enters by coincidence, and cannot be categorized into a 'level', but rather a quality which no other happiness can achieve.

Thus is my reflection on happiness and its obtaining. Though neither good nor deep, it is a small attempt at philosophy and my first. More and better philosophy will come in the future.