Happiness is a choice
HAPPINESS is an abstract noun which is a morphological combination of a qualitative adjective and a derivational suffix. So, morphologically happiness refers to a quality or state which is associated with a specific kind of emotion. Most of the time, the emotion is considered something good and positive. However, happiness does not merely mean to feel good or positive or joyful; it is more than that. Happiness is an optimal state of being which can hugely influence our lives, performance and interpersonal relationships. It is something that is cherished and envisioned by all. It is a common aim to be achieved by everyone. It is a direction that everyone wants to take to reach a successful and joyful goal.
Everyone wants to be happy. We do almost everything for the sake of happiness. Some people have plenty of money. They can buy whatever they wish. Still they look for happiness. Some can hardly manage food for a day. Still they remain happy with what little they have. So, the concept of happiness actually varies from person to person. It is because happiness is not a constant feeling. It is something that is determined by the choices we make for ourselves. So, instead of saying we are happy, we can say, we choose to be happy. Happiness is not just a simple feeling rather it is a matter of choice.
Many people casually say that money can buy happiness. For them, happiness lies in different commodities and materialistic products. Parents who remain too busy to spend time with their children prefer to buy ‘happiness’ in the form of toys, chocolate and exotic dresses for them. Initially the smile on the innocent faces of their children gives them an impression of temporary happiness. In this way, both parents and children love to believe that they can afford happiness for themselves. But after a while, when children lose all the interest from the materialistic items, they become sad and look for other sources of happiness in probably other kind of materialistic things. So, they choose to be happy for a certain period of time. And their happiness is controlled by inanimate objects.
For some people, happiness is all about accepting the current situation and trying to adapt to it. The parents may try to give more time to their children to make them smile more. When children are accompanied by their parents, they feel secured and happy at the same time. This sort of happiness lasts far longer than the previously mentioned one. It is because the temperament of human beings lasts longer than objects. Also, psychologically and biologically, human beings want human contacts. When parents are physically around the children, the good hormones in both of them keep releasing and make them happy for longer time. So, here in this case, both parents and children choose to be happy by following a simple formula: by staying together.
So, happiness is an experience that is differently experienced by different people. However, there are a few simple ways to be happy. First of all, we should accept who we are and what we have. If we cannot accept ourselves, we can never be happy. Happiness lies within us. So, it is important to know our limitations. However, it is also important to remember that our shortcomings and weaknesses are our strength. These are the things which help us shape and set our limits and goals. So, instead of underestimating our weaknesses and get angry with ourselves, we should work on it in order to be happy.
Secondly, we should limit our expectations. Higher ambitions and over expectations are silent killers. They eventually make us restless, greedy and frustrated. This is why we should limit our expectations. It doesn’t mean that we should stop dreaming of being happy. We must keep on dreaming and working on fulfilling our dreams. This workforce will bring us joy and happiness once we accomplish it.
Thirdly, while thinking of our own happiness, we should think about the happiness of others. If we can make others happy by doing good jobs and spreading our helping hands, we will ultimately become happier. So, we should selflessly try to make a sustainable happy society where everyone will remain happy and try to make others happy.
Many people may laugh at the idea that the UN has fixed a particular day to observe happiness. However, the necessity of celebrating a day for happiness cannot be simply described. The UN aims to create a globally happy world, because happiness creates impact on the overall performance of people. Even the UN has set a very appropriate theme for this year which is “Happiness for All, Forever”. Happy people are more active and productive. They can work on building an economically stable and sustainable happy society. This is why, the UN celebrates happiness for all.
On the personal level, happiness does wonders. When we feel happy, we tend to do more productive jobs. We feel positive and proactive. We feel like making the whole world happy.
This is how happiness begets more happiness. It increases in proportion when it is shared. Meanwhile we should also remember that it is a choice that we have to make for ourselves. So, whether you want to be happy or not, the choice is all yours!
— The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
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