Pursuit of Happiness
By Maria Young

Can we really obtain happiness? Or are we like racing greyhounds, chasing an artificial lure around a track only to cross the finish line empty handed. Pursuit is an act of striving for something...the effort made to try to achieve or obtain something over a period of time. So what are we striving for? What is happiness? Happiness is an emotion caused or characterized by pleasure, contentment, or joy.

Well...if happiness is identified by pleasure and contentment...then I've caught happiness a time or two; just to see it escape through the cracks of my hands. As we all know, pleasure comes in many forms. Many of which satisfies for only short periods at a time. Is pleasure and contentment directly proportional? During our pleasure, whether it's eating a double chocolate sundae or losing ten pounds, we're only content as long as the pleasure lasts. But as soon as we gain our ten pounds back from eating too many chocolate sundaes, our contentment flees. How direct can you get. Now...there's only one form of joy, by definition, that we need to explore. JOY. Umm? Now joy is a much different form of happiness. Or is it happiness at all, and why is it so different? In my experience I have faced many forms of happiness by pleasure or contentment. But there's only one form of joy that I've experienced...and it's completely unexplainable.

Why?

According to science, matter is the only explainable substance. But when it comes to things of the mind and soul--which can't be classified as matter--they just can't be rationalized. But...through my experience...I can. Joy is spiritual and can be defined by an overwhelming feeling of gladness. So what draws the line between joy and happiness? Because joy is obtainable. It's not being able to wipe the smile off your face, when you're life's in turmoil. It's being content when you have everything and remaining content when you have nothing. Joy is...not putting your hopes in material stuff (things that fade with time and eaten by moths)...but having hope and realization that no matter what happens in this life, there's an exceptional life to come. Happiness is a pursuit, but joy is a journey.

Dale Young
http://redcyc.com

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