!['[hap-ee-nis]'](https://www.theodysseyonline.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=55656434&width=980&quality=85)
Yes, you have to love the noun hap-ee-nis. That's all it is. Isn't it? The quality or state of being happy, that's what the dictionary states. While the dictionary is very useful and gives us these black and white definitions of what a word means… but that’s all it is. A black and white definition.
What is happiness? How would you define this emotion? Have you ever felt it? Of course, you have! Who hasn’t felt happiness? Well then, it should be easy to explain it.
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It’s when you feel…like, you know..good. Or content…maybe? No, no, it's definitely when you feel happy (for my literal friends out there). You wouldn't be wrong… if I asked for synonyms of happiness. Contentment, goodness, joy, bliss, pleasure.
Can we not give a definition with the amount of emotion it deserves? When you were 6 years old and came barreling down on Christmas morning. You see a heap of presents wrapped in red wrapping paper. You couldn't contain yourself. You screamed, jumped for joy; Santa did come! You unwrap the largest one and see that its the bike you’ve wanted since July. You may even start crying for joy. Don’t you remember what that felt like? The pure happiness. The feeling that nothing could stand in your way.
How about when you were finally allowed back into the hospital room to see your new sibling? You’re a big brother now! You can teach it anything you want! You’ll be the best big brother ever. You hold him for the first time, and he smiles ever so slightly. Happiness.
It's that feeling you wish you could have forever. Wouldn't life be great? Walking around 24/7 with a smile on your face that no one could ruin? Of course, it would…right?
After you finally convince your dad to set up your new bike, you take it for a spin around the neighborhood. There’s a small rock you think you can just roll over. You try to go over it, but the bike flips instead. You fall and hurt your knee. You start crying because the pain is unbearable. Your mom and dad come running over, and you think its the end of the world. This isn't happiness, its pain. You just got hurt on Christmas, this is the worst Christmas ever. Nothing could ever cheer you up. Wow, major emotional shift from not even an hour ago. You lay in bed with a makeshift wrapping over your knee, no smile. Not happiness.
You’re dad comes in and gives you a present you forgot to unwrap. You open it, and it's a bear. The eyes are beady, but its fur is so soft. You’re not a baby, you don’t need a bear. But, you kind of do. You need some comfort only its brown furry body can provide. You hug it and start smiling. Happiness.
A few days after your home from the hospital with your new sibling, your mom runs out of the house unexpectedly. Your dad calls her up immediately asking what is wrong. You can just hear sobs on the other end. Your dad tells you that your aunt is coming over to watch you while he meets your mom at the hospital. You ask what is wrong, but only get a “Nothing, it's OK.” Your aunt shows up as he leaves. Not happiness. You feel anxious. You know something is wrong.
They don’t return until the next day. Your mom sits you down and says grandma passed away last night. At first, you’re shocked, you don’t understand, she was perfectly fine. You start crying seeking a hug. Your little sister cries in the other room. You already miss her. Not happiness.
A definition for happiness? A roller coaster. We do not know happiness without sadness. We are at an all time high one second, then unexpectedly plunged down into sadness the next. No time to put your hands up in anticipation for the drop. You stay in happiness only to be brought back up gradually until you are at an all time high again. If you were to walk around with a smile on your face 24/7, you wouldn't be happy. You would be paralyzed. You are not truly happy until you know what true hurt and sadness feel like.
You need to embrace the polar opposites, as well as all the emotions in between. Know that if you are in a hole right now, on the downswing of the pendulum, also know that an all-time high is coming. Happiness is more than [hap-ee-nis]. Just as sadness is more than [sædnes].
