Within our time now we see things changing from things that us to be. I recall a life that was not so fearful, one that was willing to give help to those who were in need, and those in need were truly in need. We stood up for things we believed in and stood for moral standards. Honestly things have changed most dramatically, and happiness seems to be a rare and unusual thing. Why do we believe that happiness is so far away from our reach?A large part of this answer is that our society and media is changing the meaning of happiness and our own personal view on our happiness. I ask you what is happiness? Do you have to have a nice car to be happy? Do you need a large house or bank account in order to be happy? In our society we are told that happiness comes from having a large amount of money, having fine apparel, driving a nice car, having good looks, and many other things. So if you do not have any of these things you are not happy and not living the life of the rich and blissful.
Do you see how these views and constant change of the term happiness affects us and our own happiness? We are derived to compare ourselves with others that are blessed in the ways of having money and other things. When we compare ourselves we see that we do not have anything when it comes to being compared to these other supposedly happy people.
We must understand the true and eternal meaning of happiness. Happiness doesn't not come from the outside circumstances or source. The source of happiness comes from within us. Aristotle "Happiness depends upon ourselves."
With this changing world we fear and doubt many things, our happiness is altered and at the brim of breaking for those that still have happiness. But happiness is more than we know and think it is. I have learned that happiness does not depend upon my condition of the outside world, it does not depend if someone was rude to me or not. In order for me to be happy I must chose to be happy. "Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude" Dale Carnegie.
If happiness starts within then how to we go about developing it and cultivating it. For me my search for happiness contained doing what everyone else was doing at an early age. Many have told me that they were happy, doing things that provoked temporary happiness was happiness but not the happiness that we all hunger and thirst after. I wanted something more because this temporal happiness was only good as long as I did something more, indulge more into an addiction, giving myself more to carnal desires. This was not happiness, but temporary pleasure. Happiness is a deep and divine attribute that comes from the heart by God. He is the author of all good things and if we want happiness we then must seek those things that will produce the happiness that we desire.
I never thought the happiness I know feel even existed. I was fooled by the thought that no such happiness was possible or even was present upon this earth, but it is for I found it and have felt it on a continual day. My happiness is established on a firm foundation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I have come to know who he is I have come to understand who I am, as I have searched after his peace and happiness I have found that same promise within my life and heart. My happiness does not depend upon others who fail me or who do things that upset me. I know that when I am upset with someone and don't feel happy it is because of my own choice and no one else. If we want happiness in our life then we must ask ourselves what would we do in order to have that true happiness that yields from within our heart. The happiness that the world calls is completely different from the happiness from Jesus Christ. His happiness is everlasting, it is not temporary or continual urging, it is satisfying and magnificent.
