The way I see it, happiness is temporary. Maybe you can be happy for five minutes, or 10 or maybe even a whole hour, but beyond that, forget about it. You may disagree; maybe I’m more pessimistic than you are. Or maybe not. Let me state my case.
It all comes down to your own definition of happiness, really. Because emotional experiences vary from person to person, there is only so much a dictionary definition can tell us in regards to such personal, unique experiences.
My experience of happiness is more than likely different than yours. For me, happiness is fleeting; it’s not a state I constantly maintain.
“But you should live for those times when you are happy!” some may reply. “Those moments make it all worth it. Keep striving for that!” To which I respond, “Nah, bro, that’s a lot of work for very little payout.” The thought that I might possibly be happy at some undisclosed point in the future for some undisclosed length of time does not get me out of bed in the morning.
Now, to be fair, I would estimate that in a normal week, I feel happy at least several times a day. So maybe the payout is greater than I’m making it out to be. This brings me to what I was saying about definitions because I think true happiness stems directly from joy. I am able to be happy because I am first already joyful.
Joy is greater than happiness, but joy does not always equate with happiness. Where happiness is often intense and extreme, joy is a calm, quiet peace and contentment. While happiness comes and goes, joy can be sustained, even throughout the worst storms of life, by maintaining proper perspective and trusting in God above all else. You can have peace and joy in your heart without being happy.
This is, by no means, not a cop-out for people to give up on their dreams or live in complacency. But speaking from experience, chasing happiness only leads to frustration and confusion when the expected results are not achieved, as is usually the case.
I would argue that happiness is but a mere side effect of any number of events and situations that happen throughout our lives, many of which are out of our immediate control. Because of that, happiness is often difficult to achieve based on sheer effort alone. Joy, on the other hand, is a choice, just as much as love is. While happiness is an emotion that is produced in the moment, joy is a state of being.
So, instead striving to be happy, let’s start living in joy.
