Happiness! What is happiness? When you think of it, what does it mean to you? Is it tangible? Is it something you see? Obviously not, since it is just a feeling. Yet happiness influences every aspect of one’s lives.

The human brain by default is a pleasure seeking organ. It’s function is to reduce stress as much as possible, and amplify pleasure. It pushes the body away from anything it classifies as harmful, and gravitates towards pleasure. This is the brain’s way of protecting us, it is the way nature has designed it.

According to Aristotle; an ancient Greek philosopher, in his works he made a point “all beast and all men pursue pleasure.” what does this mean? It means man instinctively move towards what is pleasurable. Now, pleasure on the other hand is subjective, it varies from one individual to another. One strive to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. These is what we call happiness, but nature does not understand that.

The pursuit of happiness, which is at the centre of our human existence, if it’s not tangible, how then can one attain it? Most individuals attribute happiness to pleasure of which are external things, and are prone to feel more resentful when not attained. This could lead to depression, because one has given the source of their happiness to external things, of which we have absolutely no control over. Well, at this point, it is safe to say we all agree, that since happiness is a state of mind, therefore happiness comes from within.

Naturally, the human brain is lazy. Which is why, to build a strong mindset, one needs to attain a level of discipline to beat the mind into submission. This is where awareness of “The Self” comes in, but that’s another topic for some other day.

Nature is fair. Nature is for all, and all is for nature. Hence all situations is neutral to nature. This teaches us that rather than attributing pleasure to happiness, we should seek happiness from within, thereby see the beauty in everything. You can’t control every situation, but you can at least control how you react towards them.

©️ Victor E. Ojei, 2024.