Hankering happiness pursuit

I planned to write about this topic two days ago, but when I read it, it drew me to a research paper or a book where something was mentioned about happiness a few months ago when I was working on another project. The strength of that argument is very strong, and I think this place is apt to mention it, so I just could not override this urge of mine. I postponed this writing to search for that paper. When I found it this morning, my heart was on cloud nine. You know that gave me so much satisfaction and happiness that my words fail to express, and this makes the purpose of this segment even more meaningful. We should look for this kind of happiness. So without wasting time, let me take you to the research paper: Don't take an X for a U: Why laughter is not the best medicine but being more cheerful has many benefits.

Until I landed on this page, I also used to advocate for everyone to laugh. I have seen old people gather in the parks and intentionally induce laughter, and I thought that was good. In this paper, the Austrian author says that this proverb is wrongly interpreted and made up in the media. The original one looked something like this:

"A cheerful heart is good medicine." (Bible:Proverbs17: 22)

When I read this, I compared the meanings. The Oxford learner's dictionary defined the two as:

Cheerful (adjective): giving you a feeling of happiness

Laughter (noun): the act or sound of laughing.

Laughing: showing that you think something is funny; showing happiness.

As I delved deeply into these three words, I found that laughter is a way of expressing happiness. This laughter can be morphed. I can laugh even when I am not happy, as we all do in most cases. For example, if I am the head of the department, even though I do not like my subordinate, I have to smile. The authors quoted this proverb from the Bible:

"Even while laughing, a heart can ache..."(Bible:Proverb14:13)

Even I have done this. I had so many problems in my life, and I was posted at a great distance from my home. So when I came home for leave, I used to have a smiling and laughing face so that no one could know what was going on in my life and be troubled. For sure, laughter was not at all a medicine for me. My soul was searching for a place where I could find peace; that laughter was just a hiding place where I don't have to explain to others why I am sad; I don't have to give an explanation of what is wrong or right I did; I was running away from what was sucking me most. So definitely, laughter is not a good medicine until and unless I discover my cheerfulness in it. The paper deals in depth with all kinds of cheerfulness and all kinds of humor that have nothing to do with cheerful moods.

As I was exploring well-being (happiness) research, I came across two types of well-being: subjective well-being (hedonic) and psychological well-being (eudaimonic). Hedonic happiness only seeks pleasure. For example, when a child enjoys doing things that irritate you, he is only looking for hedonic happiness. This can hurt the other person. On the other hand, eudaimonic happiness is searching for purpose in life. This gives deepest and inner happiness. For example, when I do an altruistic act, it gives my heart true satisfaction and happiness; I feel I have lived another segment of my purposeful life; I have accomplished and achieved something good and worthy. This satisfaction has a different impact on our lives. Here I will emphasize my words with this anonymous quote:

"The best feeling of

HAPPINESS

is when

you are HAPPY

because

you made somebody else HAPPY."

The author of the book "The Inner Peace: The Joy of Discovering Who We Really Are" says that pleasure is a false god. He quotes the example of a drug addict. They remain in that dark dungeon of addiction only because they are stuck in that excited pleasure that takes you far away from your troublesome situation. For moments of pleasure, they gave up on addiction because they did not want to face their weaker self, their incapable self, or their lazy self. Even doing 'gul' is an addiction that takes you away momentarily from all the troubling situations you are in.

We need to understand that happiness is not a permanent thing to cage and keep. It is short and, of course, less. But when we align this happiness with purpose, we search for what really makes us happy and do it. Even though we short-live those memories, they give us much happiness and strength to continue despite all the challenges and troubles.

You will always find a group of people who are fault finders, and they will always say, "Kuch khas nahi that. Maza nahi aaya." Nothing is unique or extraordinary. (We did not enjoy it.) Happiness never comes honking with a flag car. It is right next to you if you can find happiness in small things. This is because when you see happiness in small things, you embrace everything that is in your life and see what that means to you. Happiness in gardening, happiness in cooking for family, happiness in cleaning, painting, etc. In all these things, you are not looking for things that make you happy for a reason, but that make you happy in themselves. From inside, happiness comes, and that happiness lasts for all of your life. I just can't resist putting Charles Dicken's quote here:

"Happiness is a gift, and the trick is not to expect it but to delight in it when it comes."

Happiness is something you choose to connect with yourself. You do not have to be happy all the time; at the same time, you do not have to show that you are happy; it comes from within, which you cannot hide. I will take the pleasure of introducing you all to Robert Moment's views here:

"The key to happiness is being happy with who you are and enjoying the life you are living."

I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z and hyperlink https://www.theblogchatter.com

Find my blogchatter A2Z 2024 series:

A- Arms of addiction

B- Babbling busyness

C- Cunning complacency and craving certaininty

D- Daring dreams(ambition)

E- Erratic ilk of arrogance

F- Fraudulent Forgetting

G- Gullible guilt and shame

H-Hankering Happiness pursuit

I- Infringes of information technology