What does it take to be happy?
What needs to happen?
First, let me try to describe happiness in my own words. It is a mental state of well-being. It is a profound, meaningful and positive feeling that can be further described as a feeling without anger, misery, sadness, fear, shame, worthlessness, pressure, abandoned, neglection, insecure, untrust and other kinds of negative feelings that can fill up the list of what happiness is not.
What does it take to be happy?
As soon as I've read this question, a dialog from the famous TV series Heroes (2006) came up to my mind.
Daniel Linderman: I think there comes a time when a man has to ask himself whether he wants a life of happiness or a life of meaning.
Nathan Petrelli: I'd like to have both.
DL: Can't be done. Two very different paths.
I mean, to be truly happy, a man must live
absolutely in the present. No thought of what's gone before and no thought of what lies ahead.
But a life of meaning...
A man is condemned to wallow in the past and obsess about the future.
I know the negative allegation on meaningful life seems to be in contradiction with the positive psychology literature yet as the character Linderman points out, one of the key things for happiness is setting your feet on present moment.
But one can say that happiness can be felt while recalling, remembering good, old memories and also dreaming of a bright, satisfying yet untold future as you'd ever desired. But that is an hollow, temporary kind of happiness.
to be continued..
