Happiness

It is 7 a.m. As my alarm goes off, i get up knowing that half way to the tea boiler i will already be awake. I put some coffee, i open my computer, move the macroeconomics book a little to my left and open Ted.Com. I stumble upon a talk that asks the question whether Happiness has a price tag. It sounds intriguing, and i start watching it while enjoying my almost tasteless coffee. I already know the answer to the question, but i am interested in a point of view that is probably more informed than i am, from a person that actually dedicated some time to the issue before making the verdict. So i watch. And as a lot of many interesting facts come out of the presentation, i start thinking about how this world is organized, about the values that we each have and the principles that we kinda set for ourselves.

We often look for perfection. If not absolute, than at least a close fit to it. And most of the times, we declare ourselves satisfied just because we cannot dedicate any more resources looking for that certain thing. And this is a type of happiness as well - when you, in an informal manner, decide for yourself that from this moment on you will be happy with the choice that you have made and will not glance to what other people own / do / have. There are times when we succeed. But there still are moment of doubt when we stop and ask ourselves the devastating "what if".....


Happiness is acceptance. Accept the things you cannot change, influence the ones you have power over and may you have serenity to know the difference. This thought came as a revelation some time ago when i was performing the most automatic operation of that period, but i still stopped in order to get this idea into my head and i realized that yes, every moment counts. Every second of your being makes you the person that you are, every event, good or bad, makes you one step closer to where you want to be - and here the secret is to want to be where you are. Because happiness is within oneself. Satisfaction of the present makes room for satisfaction in the future, optimism now makes ambition tomorrow - because yes, the more man has, the more man wants. And you cannot have something unless you are fully aware you are in possession. If you are in a state of "i know nothing, i want nothing", guess what you will get? Probably...... nothing. And even if you get something, are you fully capable of enjoying it?
Don't think so.


Happiness is acknowledgement. Happiness is within ourselves. And we decide whether we are happy or not. Involuntarily. Psychologically. And we identify this function of the brain with an external phenomenon, like eating chocholate or spending time with your loved one. ( These are the only two true happiness moments that come to my mind and this early hour on Saturday morning). And yes, a lot of times, telling yourself to stop and enjoy the moment of happiness helps.

Just watch the video. It will not make you ask yourself any question - this was just my reaction to all the happenings in the last days - but at least it is fun.