Happiness is

 

Our society seems to always be in search of happiness outside itself. Of course happiness is actually an extreme. Contentment would be a better goal, but whatever they are seeking it seems most people expect it to come from somewhere that is not them.

The world is willing to jump on that! Doctors prescribe anti depressants, psychologists offer all sorts of services, the entertainment industry thrives on it. 

Theme parks like Disney, Harry Potter, Six Flags, all rely on people needing the odd or exotic experience to feel happy, gleeful, joyous! 

Television has whole networks dedicated to romance and uplifting faith movies. Magazines and books and podcasts tell us how other people supposedly find real joy and love and happiness!

There are people who shop continuously, always hoping to be able to buy something that makes them happy. They even try to buy happiness for their children and family and friends, thinking that the newest fad will give them fifteen minutes of joy. 

And there is the kicker.

Fifteen minutes of anything except life can be bought for some price almost anywhere. Death cannot be cheated. Eventually everyone dies, but in between being born and dying you can find tiny increments of happiness outside of yourself, all around you, if you have enough money, and that is what you are seeking.

But long term happiness, contentment, the kind that gives us good dreams and makes sitting with ourselves feel really good only comes from within.

That is hard to give anyone else, maybe impossible, but we can demonstrate it to people around us if they are interested. Unfortunately in today's world that is uninteresting and too slow for many people. They want what they want and they want it now!

Young children are perfectly happy as long as they are healthy and cared for and fed. They don't need fancy toys. Everything is a toy to them even their own bodies. They don't need peer playmates until they are around three. They find themselves infinitely intrigued by the world around them. Then the people and things around them teach them this isn't enough and suddenly they have NEEDS and they are BORED and it gets worse from there.

There is nothing wrong with wanting or even needing things outside of us to spice up our life, but the problem comes when these things become necessary for what we believe is happiness. It is possible to have problems, big problems, in life and still be content within yourself.

It's worth spending some time with your self, getting to know the real you, discovering your hidden talents and what makes you special, because no one else can really do that and that is where the mother lode is.