Happiness is a feeling unlike any other. It makes us optimistic in the darkest storms while also aiding us to see all the good in this world. In fact, contentment is viewed as an incredibly important factor in our society’s success today. So much so, that it has now been translated into a motto for the world to glamorize, known as the “American Dream.” This vision is a symbol for the pursuit of happiness through the workings of an ideal American society, however, given too much depth, this dream has become a harsh motto to live by. If happiness is viewed as a goal, people may give in to the dangers of believing there is a lack of progress, a falling out, and even a negatively nostalgic view of life in general.
The American Dream makes happiness sound as if it is a reachable goal. From which, there is no higher feeling, no better time. This is wrong. Many strive to reach the end of this chase but they must realize there is no end. It is as if relying on happiness as some sort of goal to be achieved will make it easier to experience and each. An analogy that demonstrates this phenomenon is simply the reading of a book. With every flip of a page, new knowledge is inherited by the reader. But as the climax point is reached, the reader must “cope” with the aftermath that follows. The reader has to realize that after a certain point, there is a falling out. We cannot always expect a climax when it comes to happiness or we will forever be disappointed to live in the aftermath following this “high.” Happiness is a byproduct of living your life, not something that you spend every day working towards but never fully reaching.
Anticipating the arrival of happiness has detrimental effects on one’s take on life. Numerous examples of this are present in our world today in the form of depression, smoking, terrorism, drug addiction, discrimination and more. By holding off on happiness to search for a time in which we allow ourselves to be happy, we risk never reaching our destination. Happiness is not a goal because there are no formal steps or foolproof formulas to reach it. We must take it as it comes. People who are addicted to substances believe that happiness is a goal that they will someday reach a “high” enough point. That day never comes and the abusive substance harms their bodies increasingly. Patients with clinical depression are unable to allow themselves to be happy, resulting in happiness as an “unreachable” goal. Discrimination, racism, and hatred that is ingrained in people’s minds today make them believe that they will be satisfied and truly happy after their ulterior motives are fulfilled. We need to stop this mentality before it spurs into more danger!
The sad reality is that our views on happiness are shaped by those around us. We glorify happiness to such an extent that we, and I’m guilty of this as well, shade our vision of the past, present, and future. I, for example, have traveled across the nation for my high school schooling career. By having to leave my home of fourteen years and my companions so frequently, I began to view happiness as a goal that I would reach once I was at a certain point in my life. In doing so, I forgot how to cherish the meaningful moments of life. I now know that happiness is a feeling that mustn’t be postponed for later. Happiness is in the now, the present. It is important that we remember that no matter how strongly we feel for our goals, we must never put them in the way of living in the present. We should look forward to happiness but we mustn’t glorify it to such an extent that we become habituated to it.
Overall, human nature believes that it is incredibly important to feel wanted, happy, excited and loved. It is necessary to have goals but it is even more fruitful to remember the idea of general contentment in the happy moments of life. Do not let the idea of feeling happy at all times marginalize or even minimize the happiness you feel in little moments in the present.
