Happiness. What does happiness mean to you? The Dictionary defines happiness as "the state of being happy", and happy is "feeling or showing pleasure of contentment". So, what makes you feel content? What makes you happy? Your family? Maybe your pet? Your favorite tv show? Money? But, why? Why do we feel this way? Why do we feel happiness over things that end? Yes, your family may bring you joy but one day they'll be gone, and so will you. Your pet? They don't live forever either. Your tv show? Meredith has to have her happy ending sometime. Spongebob will eventually get his drivers license. Yes, money can definitely bring happiness, until you spend it all. So, why do we, as humans, find joy in things that leave. Why do we spend our time on this universe searching for something that makes us happy when its probably right in front of us. Shouldn't we be finding happiness in the little things. Like that old sweater you used to wear in the 7th grade, the one that your crush, Tom, said made your eyes sparkle. Or the baby blanket your mother gave to you when you were 2 months old. Why do we, as humans, feel happiness for things that we, as humans, eventually destroy? If our purpose on this earth was to feel happy, I believe god would have put it everywhere. But is it? Everywhere? No, but why? I feel that we as humans are here to inspire, to feel anger, to feel sadness, to grow. to learn from things. If you're out there living life to only feel happiness, you aren't living. Living your life would be to feel anger, to be sad because your tv show ended. Yes, you may have your favorite tv show end and say "oh I'll just find another one", which granted you probably will, but does it ever stand up to the one you just watched? Does it bring you as much joy to watch Abby fall in love with the firefighter as it does watching McDreamy make Meredith happy? No. Our happiness is short, but we aren't here to love one thing for the rest of our lives. We're here to grow. So the next time you stare at the twenty dollar bill in your pocket, or you tv show, think "how long will this make me happy"?
-h.s
