What's happiness?

[BUTTERFLY]

Today I'm here to ask for a definition of happiness....
What does make you happy?

Your Butterfly

[raum]

Happiness = The ability and means to exercise the options I would ideally choose.

[Skinny Bastard]

Happiness is peace. Complete and total peace....
..but in the absence of that, I'll settle for a little piece.... LOL

[AYHJA]

I thought to have replied to this earlier this morning, when I was alert and thinking, only to have it disappear right in front of my eyes for some reason...

** sigh **

I was going to put an answer that is somewhat scientific...Cause the more I think about what happiness is, the less sense that it makes to my logical mind...

You are as likely to see the same happiness rise out of me from finding out my favorite deodorant is not being discontinued as I would be to get a new car...I don't really know how to explain it, I've become so content with working to make the most of what I have, that I guess I don't pay much attention to the emotion itself...

If I had so say, I would say happiness is the result of being aware...When you can make sense of the things around you, clarity should follow, and nothing makes me happier than being able to see my way through, around, and beyond a situation...No matter how small...Be it finding a new scent to wear or putting gas in my vintage Charger...

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

Happiness Is A Smelly Cat. [/random]

[Fapper]

Happiness is that short past moment you're now trying to remember in order to understand why you felt such a joy

... and if you finally figure out it was certainly not happiness.

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

And here I thought you were gonna say it was a Warm Gun..

[Fapper]

yes it is

[goodog]

Damn! I was going to say that!! Seriously, I think happiness is being content with what you have and what you can strive for. If you're constantly looking at trying to attain to things that are basically unattainable then you'll never be content with what you have as so it goes........That's not to say that you shouldn't strive to better yourself but you should know your limitations and accept them, not for what they are but more as a tool to put all things in perspective. I know everyone complains about their lot and how things don't go well for them from time to time, this is something I'm guilty of too, pretty much the same as everyone but I have a neice who's now 24 and she's been battling cancer for the past three years and in the last year has had three major surgeries. She has a little girl who's five years old and she's seperated from her partner who was basically a bag of shit anyway. But not once have I heard her complain about the way life has treated her, she's justhappy that she can still get around and be there for her daughter and I have to say she makes me ashamed for sometimes thinking my lot could be better.........On a brighter note, she's winning her battle, so far anyway, and hopefully will recover completely so she also has something to strive for which is kind of what I mean

[AYHJA]

I hear that, goodog...Kudos to her for being a trooper..!

Like most things, happiness is just a choice...True, things do have limitations, but it may be counterproductive to realize them...Maybe I miss what you said gd, but what I mean is, picture an 8 year old Barak Obama standing up in front of his classroom telling them he wanted to be President one day...There probably weren't many people to be around to suggest that, let alone encourage him to pursue his dream...

I think you can find a balance between healthy optimism and Utopian ideals by simply using your common senses...I am happy, but I am not content...If I never learned another thing in my life, I could still say I felt great about it...But I want to do so many things...Learn to fly a plane...Build an engine...See the world...Should the fact that I can't yet afford to take flying lessons, or my local college doesn't offer auto mechanic courses deter me from those things..? Nope...Its not obtaining them that makes me happy...The pursuit of those things provides that...That's what life is about...Finding happiness in the struggles, do we really enjoy everything easy and normal so much..?

I just think its a known fact not everyone likes to admit...You can always come up with excuses...And like you said gd, its something I'm sure even I am guilty of...But I work so hard at the opposite...I may not have my life as I desire it, but I am enjoying working my way there...Just as your niece has probably discovered through her illness, on a day when she feels like shit and can barely make it out of bed, she can emerge from that day victorious by doing just that...I learned my lesson from a similar instance, watching a woman I called Mom fight her way to life...It should not take those things to get us to that point, but if you witness them and do not take heed, you have failed only yourself...When you hear someone tell you that you have 3 months to live, you do not lay down and wait to die...These things help us to see the fight in life, and what it is about...

It's more work and twice as rewarding if you can make solutions...All it takes is patience and persistence, confidence and knowledge in yourself, and the will to do it...Make the decision to be happy and not look for something to make you happy and you'll feel 10x's as great...