By Isis Win
eu·dae·mon·ism
noun: eudemonism
a system of ethics that bases moral value on the likelihood that good actions will produce happiness.
Happiness is not a destination but a journey. Contrary to what some believe, the possibility of being happy depends on what happens in that journey achieving compassion and satisfaction of the actions taken during that journey. A happy person may look like one side of the coin when an unhappy looks like the other side of the coin. A black and white issue we can say.
When happy, one remains positive, realistically positive, and regardless of the confronted tribulations, the attitude is a consistent drive towards self-satisfaction, fulfillment, and a state of mind that transcends the mind. Gratitude is a grand representative of that state of mind. The contrary is continuously seeking for negative elements that trigger almost obsessive thoughts about the moment, the past, even the future. Therefore when a person exhibits that state of mind, might not be a suitable person to surround others in harmony and have positive results—an added reason not to experience a lack of happiness.
I have written about this critical issue many times before. However, I have not published much about these my thoughts. Because I am aware that not many people are interested in something that or is perceived as something that is not—consequently, it becomes a denial to the possibility to achieve that thought and feeling. However, the press added a new survey and the results of this problem. The Universities of Chicago, Monmouth, and Gallup surveyed states asking the questions leading to the obtained results. Only a small percentage of Americans claim to be happy.
Lacking happiness leads to frustration and anger that are easily triggered. Like with Corona, an unhappy person surrounded by five other people, if they get involved, three of those people may get contaminated – if their unhappy button is pushed. Ending in more unhappiness, unpleasantness, and possibly a crisis.
The survey’s questions were regarding the state of our country. Are we moving in the right direction or the wrong one? Left and right responders are in a very similar place. In their view, we are moving in the wrong direction. Yet, we cannot disregard that today, we all are passing through the toughness of what Corona that triggers: a lot of concern in most people. However, unhappiness is one thing, Corona, another one, and they may add up one to the other one. That is the denial of finding that glorious time and place in which possibilities can be found. Therefore, it is clear that a lot of those respondents believe more = not been able to steer the boat in the correct direction, than a possible fix. Therefore they are unhappy because they cannot do anything (or care) about it and do not trust someone else could.
Unhappiness goes well beyond what the holder is perceiving. It wraps everyone and everything in similar tones that change the denominators, and look like – other things lack possibilities too. This increases the negative results in a toxic way, and finding the means for change, can trigger fear instead of hope.
An unhappy family is a startup of finding ourselves, right there. An intimate or emotional relationship tends to trigger this negative result when something goes wrong, and we do not have what it takes to fix it. Usually, when someone is trying to prove power, control, even dominance on the relationship or the person – regarding an unrelated issue that can become the trigger. Hence, unhappy people may be responsible for lack of it at home, work, society and anywhere they go.
Naturally, there are levels of either happiness or unhappiness. Regardless of how much one or the other one exists at that moment, happiness or the contrary, either act as a protecting bubble or an exploding bubble that can get everyone in their path. Nevertheless, an unhappy person can’t make the selection of who receives the impact of that unhappiness. It merely explodes, taking casualties. It becomes a sort of finding allies (they are saved) to express that lack of happiness and justify the judgment against the people they do not feel compassion for, not even tolerance. That is the worst way of representing the negativity ingrained in an unhappy person. That person needs compassion, but unhappy people do not know how to take it in.
Corona has brought syndromes that entice unhappiness today, but as well, it opens the door to rearrange our home. Meaning everything we harvest from within. Therefore, we can make small and large changes that address the critical aspects of life, instead of just looking at issues that will not resolve without our direct intervention. As time goes by, while invested in this quest, it is possible to see functional changes in the present, and they build up in the near future, just like what some “happy” people see today concerning Corona messing up their life. People that saved money have money to solve some of the problems resulted from the lockdown—expenses, for instance. An unhappy person may focus on the depletion of their savings, instead of looking at a resolved issue—a denial of happiness. As well a happy person can start looking at what kind of excesses they are used to – that today – are not justified, which creates a more profound crisis such as having to pay the elevated cost of the fancy recent car or the lump sum owed to their credit line, etc. That, instead of looking for possible solutions to cope and comply with them. Got the idea?
The importance of looking into happiness or the lack of it matters utterly because that reflects the quality of life we live in. Having all the toys in life does not resolve anything but increases the level of dependency and issues we have to sort out. They are not the most significant issue to attend. When we are happy, aiming to get there, we can see the light always shining, so we know, all is ok and it is a matter of patience to we resume into a wholly fulfilling life. Being happy can be being realistic too, and when we are there, we got something that nobody can take away from us. We can have so much happiness, that we can share it with others, and that creates a full path in that journey of us. After all, we humans are the only species that cannot survive without having others in our life. Hence, everyone will want to join us, happy people, because everyone loves to be with happy people. That makes others happy too.