A Little Philosophy

I stayed up all night yesterday (for the first real time ever), and I feel absolutely horrible. But as feeling hung-over as it goes without alcohol, I felt a little burst of inspiration this morning. Some sort of chemical combustion happened, and next thing I knew, I was spouting a whole bunch of random stuff about the meaning of life and happiness and who-knows-what. I wrote it out on paper (wow, that's a rarity), and decided to discuss it at this site. So here's my little philosophical outburst.

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The Pursuit of Happiness

Annie

As humans, it is impossible for us to be in a constant state of happiness or satisfaction. Every once in a while, life happens, and it is our response and reaction to these circumstantial events that make us grow. It is during these trials of life that we are given the biggest opportunity to prove ourselves, and to fulfill our capacity as individuals.

I doubt that there is any person in this world whose life isn’t defined by the ups and downs of action and consequence. To achieve anything, may it be the acceptance to a good university or the promotion to a higher position; we must first establish that we want it - that it is a goal in our life. But what is “want” when what we “want” is almost disconcerting in its frequent appearance in our minds? It is here that we make an either conscious or subconscious decision that not only do we “want” it, we “need” it.

The higher the object is on our list, the better the chance of us obtaining it. Why can we change our chances simply by associating a different word with the object of our desire? Because whether we know it or not, it signifies our willingness (however reluctant we provide that willingness) to sacrifice for the achievement of our goal.

Now I find myself repeating a concept that has been reiterated boundlessly, but it never detracts from the truth of the statement - that though thinking and speaking is significant, it is our actions that matter. Following through with what we decide is just as important, if not more, than making that decision in the first place. Putting words down without a plan for action is a representation of irresponsibility and in my opinion, even a display of the lack of morals.

It is here where we can find a definite distinction between those who succeed and those who fail. When your work is deemed more substantial in comparison to a competitor’s, it is a testament of your will and human capacity. Standing out – that is success. Yet at the same time, failure does not mean the eradication of the opportunity to obtain what it is that we “need”. It simply means that due to some circumstance, we’ve now been pushed out onto the long road from the short. It is too much to expect an individual to be perfect, as much as we strive toward it, and sometimes the long road ends up teaching us more than what we could have gained otherwise.

Sometimes we fall. It is not an uncommon sight. There are many reasons – from our inability to fulfill expectations to unforeseen circumstances. This is when we hit our lowest, when the word “happiness” ceases to exist in our dictionary. But what can we do except move on? As much as we’d like to change the past, the sun will continue to rise every morning, and the world will continue to rush past, with or without us.

I also believe, however, that without the lows, we wouldn’t be able to truly experience the highs. That without the contrast of life slapping us in the face and then shaking our hands, how would we be able to determine that we’ve achieved happiness?

Isn’t this what life is about, the pursuit of happiness? Every action in our lives is a contributing factor to our progression towards an intrinsic sense of deep satisfaction. As much as we’ve accomplished in our lives – with the establishment of goals and the fulfillment of our dreams, we yearn for that few moments of ecstasy.

Happiness is when after studying four years in high school at the expense of a social life, the student receives an acceptance letter from Harvard. But as high as that letter pushes him or her up, humans, like everything else, eventually fall down. Once we’re on the bottom, we restart our climb up, gradually accumulating more knowledge and experience. We make another goal, we place it on our “need” list, and we set ourselves up for another taste of that sweet ambrosia.

In contrast to the focus on “achievement equals happiness”, we must also realize that no matter where life takes us, the levels of happiness are the same. A rich millionaire isn’t necessarily happier than a poor individual whose goal in life is to see his kids grow up healthy and strong. There is a common misconception that the higher you are on the food chain, the happier you are. Happiness is determined by the set of individual values that only pertain to the individual.

I must ask you this: have you ever laughed while watching a dog chase its tail? You have. In a way, you’ve been laughing at your self. At the end, when we look at life as a whole, it is a never-ending cycle that doesn’t have a definite beginning or an end with the inclusion of a purpose and a checklist for the fulfillment of that purpose.

Can we ever truly experience the question of why we’re here on earth; with the feeling that we’re searching for something? No. But perhaps our closest guess is that we've got to take life as it is, and enjoy it while it lasts. Therefore, humans must take up every opportunity; every chance that makes an appearance as a fork in our road.

In the expansion of our capacity as individuals, in the impact we deliver to our surroundings, in our pursuit of perfection, maybe, just maybe, we can find happiness.

- Annie