WHAT IS HAPPINESS?
Sonja Lyubomirsky, a
Russian-born American professor of psychology defines happiness as “the
experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense
that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile. According to her every one
of us can take actions and develop habits that increase happiness.
Another American psychologist Martin
Seligman who was born on 12 August 1942 argued that happiness has three
dimensions that can be cultivated: The regular experience of pleasantness (the
pleasant life). The frequent engagement in satisfying activities (the engaged
life). The experience of a sense of
connectedness to a greater whole (the meaningful life).
He adds:
Although each dimension is important, the happiest people tend to be those who
pursue the full life ---they infuse their life with pleasure, engagement, and
meaning,
To put it briefly, a happy man is
one who eats a healthy diet, practices self-care, explores new activities,
keeps smiling, has an aptitude for positive thinking, spends some time in
meditation, builds positive relationships with all sorts of people, expresses
gratitude to all and sundry and to God , who spends his time purposefully, and
who does not fail to relax after the day’s hard work.
Also note that happiness is not a
windfall. It is a pursuit. It does not
depend upon luck. Its source is physical,
mental, aesthetic and spiritual labour.
A man with a pure soul does not lack happiness. The English
novelist Bulwer-Lytton (1803-72) said: Happiness and virtue rest upon each
other; the best are not only the happiest, but the happiest are usually the
best,
Seneca, the stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist of
Ancient Rome (Died 65 AD) said: The true
felicity of life is to be free from anxieties and perturbations; to understand and
do our duties to God and man, and to enjoy the present without any serious
dependence on the future,
Finally,
this quote by Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948): Happiness is when what you think,
what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
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G.R.Kanwal
22 January 2025
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