SOME VIEWS ON HAPPINESS
“Happiness” is defined as a complex
and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from
contentment to intense joy.
Lord Buddha (born around 563 BCE)
suggested the following Eight-fold Path (Path to the end of suffering) and
attainment of happiness. It consists of: Right Views, Aspiration, Speech,
Action, Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration.
Christianity
believes that the seven deadly sins which cause unhappiness are: pride, greed,
wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. One should abstain from them.
Normally,
an average man is happy if he is maintaining good health; his wants are being
satisfied and his legitimate desires are being fulfilled.
Some
common synonyms of happiness are: cheerfulness, gladness, care-freeness, and delight.
The
English poet S. T. Coleridge (1772-1834) said: Happiness can be built only on
virtue, and must of necessity have truth for its foundation.
According to some thinkers : Happiness
consists in being perfectly satisfied with what we have got and with what we
have not got.
Here
is another view : It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.
The
Roman saint Augustine (died 604) said: Happiness consists in the attainment of
our desires, and in our having only right desires.
To
conclude, here is a short anonymous poem:
Just to be tender, just to be true ;
Just to be glad the whole day through
:
Just to be merciful, just to be mild
:
Just to be trustful as a child :
Just to be gentle and kind and sweet
:
Just to be helpful with willing feet
:
Just to be cheery when things go
wrong :
Just to drive sadness away with a
song :
Whether the hour is dark or bright,
Just to be loyal to God and right !
*******
G.R.Kanwal
20th September 2025
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