HAPPINESS.....

A series of essays.....

                          MY FIVE REASONS FOR SEEKING HAPPINESS!                             
 LET'S PROTECT OUR BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN VIA DRASTIC 
GUN LAW CHANGES IN THIS COUNTY!!!

.....as seen through my eyes!




By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


HAPPINESS...,

...is a relative term, co-dependent upon our own current state of mind and/or circumstances. It can be an illusion or state of being that some of us only dream about. It can be the most amazing feeling ever experienced. Happiness can be faked, stepped on, crinkled into a ball and thrown away. It can, also, be fed, encouraged, and built upon until such joy fills our entire being that we might suddenly fear losing even a drop of it and carry our happiness cautiously as we would a glass filled to the brim in which the slightest movement could cause it to spill over......onto others? To know true happiness would be to share our own happiness with as many people as possible and assist in turning negative circumstances into positive ones.

Happiness is the feeling of a deep seated, comfortable ride through the green valleys and along the craggy mountaintops that comprise our everyday lives. While our trusty steed navigates the wild terrain, we may experience rain showers and snow storms one day, only to be perked-up by the warmth of the sun on our faces the next. Our ‘state of happiness’ is not determined by the chilling weather patterns of the tundra or the warmth of a sunny climate. We could feel happy in both environments. Rather, it is a feeling that has saturated our inner being since birth and only diminishes if or when we allow it to.

We are born with happiness overflowing from every pore of our being with our innocence and inquisitiveness sparkling from within like a bright, shining star. As we age, our personal interaction with others, may it be good, bad, or indifferent, sets the pace for retaining or losing measured quantities of inborn happiness as time reveals a truthful account about the world we live in. Good experiences, wholesome relationships, and positive attitudes help to elevate us in ways that excite the senses and motivate the positive emotions that contribute to future happiness. Negative experiences can cause us to feel displeasure and discontentment and will, eventually, diminish the happiness we were originally born with. 

Heading into this world as toddlers and young adults with the understanding that life itself is a challenge can provide a modicum of strength and encouragement along our path to survival and, ultimately, perceived happiness. With the passing of time, understanding happiness can be likened to the anticipation of a great adventure; traveling to a place we have always wanted to experience but, up to this point, only read about. With anticipation comes the expectation of hope and the desire that this particular event becomes a possibility considering we save our money and make the time for it. Instinctively, we float in a state of suspense that carries us along on the whims of our research and planning until the crescendo increases in intensity and our very being tingles with throbbing vibrations as though we were listening to a fiery Irish jig with good friends on a Saturday night....pints raised to the heavens above! Happiness!

We own our own personal answers when it comes to coping with the depths of our private being. But depth, the core of our being, is something we cultivate over time. The renowned Dutch philosopher, Baruch Spinoza, once wrote, “The more clearly you understand yourself and your emotions, the more you become a lover of what is.” Our mask of upside-down frowns and narrowed eyes only scratches the surface of what and who we truly are. If we wish to dig deep inside and project accurate images of gut feelings, failed dreams, lost promises to ourselves throughout the years, we may find the projection of these images upon our ‘face-screens’ to be  clever truths depicting worn paths down the long road of ‘trial and error.’ Maybe it is merely a mask we wear for others to see and be comforted by in times of earthly tribulations in the hope that they will return the favor by allowing us to luxuriate for a moment in artificial solace as they share their mask with us? Even if the intentions are good, by shedding false masks and doing whatever it takes to understand what truly makes us happy is worth all of the effort we put into it. 

It is our duty to ourselves as an active member of the human race to dig deep down inside, to the depth of our very soul and understanding, and become a lover of what is....for the sake of happiness.

Author’s Note: This piece was written hours before the latest mass killing here in Florida. Happiness, for myself, would be to be able to protect our youth from suffering through having to fear for their lives by simply attending school. We, as adults, know how to correct this scenario. It’s been done successfully in many other countries. It had been done with great success in our own, at one time. Will we allow greed, money, and power to diminish the happiness of our youth forcing them to grow up too fast?  Or, will we work together to pass laws to stop this senseless murder...now?

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved