And what about you?

Happiness is transient and impermanent. Will I ever find that “One Big Thing” that FINALLY banishes all the suffering, leaving lasting happiness? No. As humans, permanent happiness is impossible. A good movie, a new and exciting partner, a new car, these and similar things offer temporary happiness, but how many times do we say “If only I had/was this, I’d be happy”, only to repeat it time and time and time again, all the while watching the elusive ghost of happiness steal away, again. Often, by pinning our hopes for happiness on our next big purchase or accomplishment, we fail to see that had we just stopped and took stock of our situations, we would have realized that we were just fine. What’s the saying – “Don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Happiness, the way I see things, is a product of perspective and attitude. If one is able to see the good things in their life, then there is a chance at some kind of lasting happiness. This can be difficult in todays culture of commercialism, but was probably also an issue at the dawn of man. (“Ug’s cave bigger than mine- Trog not happy. Need cave bigger than Ug’s.”) Taking into consideration the negative inner dialogue I and many of us deal with, and happiness seems even further away. How do you find happiness when you’re (I’m ) busy telling yourself (myself) what a failure you are? If there was a way to suppress that, well, just maybe happiness might stick around. But, then again, my negative inner dialogue makes me who I am, not one of the happy little gerbils spinning on the trivial wheel of life.