What is HAPPINESS? According to Merriam Webster dictionary, “Happiness means, a state of well-being and contentment”. Aristotle, one of the greatest thinkers in the history, said that “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”
The feeling of joy and satisfaction, that give us a sense of fulfillment – making us appreciate life more.
I believe that most people have different definitions and perceptions of happiness, and these can greatly affect how they see, accept, and cope in life.
To some people, Happiness is when they have lots of money, top of the line gadgets, a beautiful house, new car, great career and other material things. But the question is, would they remain happy if all of these things suddenly dissapear? If the answer is “no”, then you should change the way you see happiness.
I would be a hypocrite if I would say that I don’t want those things mentioned above. I do want them!, I really do. I admit that before I was one of the people who based happiness on material things. It was a battle for me, not until my recent encounter with people from other walks of life which really changed my perspective.
That little girl in Binondo, Manila.
She approached me and asked me if I have food. Unfortunately, I only had a piece of candy which I gladly gave her. She smiled at me looking very happy, I smiled back at her but it broke my heart seeing a kid like her going through that kind of hard life. But when I looked at her, she was happy despite her situation. Some kids nowadays were showered with gifts, toys, new clothes but still never satisfied. But this little girl from Binondo, with just one piece of candy given to her, exudes genuine happiness.
The Boy with a Broken Toy.
While parked in front of an eatery where we had our lunch in the Cordillera Region, I noticed a kid walking without slippers, playing with his old and broken toy. Pulling it back and forth. I observed him for quite some time. He seemed so happy. He didn’t mind that his toy was broken and still had that genuine smile up in his face.
The Ati kids of Ati Village in Boracay.
These Ati kids from the Ati Village in Boracay are living a very simple island life. These kids may be deprived mostly of the “good material stuff ” in life that we know of, and they may not even see what most of us see in their lifetime, but that look at their faces – the smiles. Priceless.
They are happy and contented with what they have and thankful for these blessings.
The life of these kids are so inspiring and has touched my life and made me realize things. That there is much deeper meaning of being happy than just having material things, earthly things.
CHOICE+CONTENTMENT=HAPPINESS.
Life is about choices. And for me, HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE that we have to make everyday, every hour, every minute and every second of our lives. It is about how you see things positively even in your darkest times. It’s about being contented with what you have and not investing so much emotion on things that can easily fade away.
If you choose to be contented, you choose to be happy.
So that’s pretty much it. I hope that this article will help you ponder and realize what real happiness is. Always remember, “HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE”… so choose to be happy today! 🙂
