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Happiness - What is it and how do we get more of it?
At a recent meeting of the World Economic Forum there was a break in the discussion of financial matters as those gathered pondered the question of happiness – what is it and how do we get more of it?
The collected experts ranged from yogis to rabbis, psychologists to cartoonists, politicians and cartoonists and writers.
Some argued that happiness required courage and resilience while others pointed to the importance of knowing and using strengths. Some pronounced love to be most crucial while others referred to the old, wise cliché that happiness is not about getting what you want but wanting what you get. Still others pointed to religion, spirituality and finding the bliss that exists within all of us (if only we looked inside rather than outside for joy). A few unemotionally suggested that happiness was nothing more than a chemical phenomenon!
Who knows who’s right? Maybe none (or all) of them are correct! Does it really matter? Is there one answer that’s the same for everyone?
What do I think? I believe the answer varies from person to person and that as long as we know what happiness means for us, and as long as we do what we can to achieve happiness for ourselves and our loved ones, then the world will indubitably be a better place.
What do you think?
This entry was posted
on Monday, January 30th, 2006 at 8:39 am and is filed under Happy Tips.
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February 9th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
for me happiness is always discovering new things and re-discovering old ones
February 20th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
For a good description of a stress management routine based on combining conventional Western medicine, alternative medicine, and spirituality practice, check out the excerpt at AuthorViews from “A Life in Balance: Nourishing the Four Roots of True Happiness,” by Dr. Kathleen A. Hall — a student of Dr. Dean Ornish (Preventive Medicine Research Institute) and Dr. Herbert Benson (Harvard University’s Mind-Body Institute). The piece is a nice take on the latest in integrative medicine from someone who has paid her dues and speaks the truth.
http://www.authorviews.com/authors/hall2/excerpt.php
April 11th, 2006 at 11:18 pm
As a global political direction, freedom and liberty have to be a priotirty for these leaders to first lay the foundation for true happiness to even occur. I too believe that happiness is an invidual goal and just as a snowflake will be unique from person to person. At the heart, I believe happiness is the ability for you to be you. With out personal and economic freedom many are still oppressed.
April 12th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Anything that is vague,hazy and difficult to conceive is difficult to achieve.I do agree that happiness is an individual thing but if it is not understood clearly how are we going to achieve it.If we cannot explain happiness to others then it only means we havenot understood it ourselves.I can define a snowflake and get a picture of it in my mind.There is no ambiguity with that.But happiness seems to be a mystery,wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma.
I would like to ask Irene how does dicovering new things or rediscovering old ones create happiness? Could you share some concrete exapmples of the same.
Mahatma Gandhi once said ” Happiness is when what you think,what you say and what you do are in harmony”