The Search For Happiness

Modern life is a struggle - a struggle to gain monetary rewards, comfort and luxury. Instead of bringing happiness, the lifestyle brings anxieties and stress. There are important moments in everyone's life when all material things are of little value when compared to the mental or spiritual joy of detachment from worldly things.

In living a lay life, the importance of economic welfare for leading a good life cannot be understated. We should not pretend that people can be happy if they are starving and living under miserable conditions. Poverty and living in slum area can stifle human happiness. It is a wretched life in the slums if a large family has to live, eat, sleep and procreate in one small hut. The wretchedness of the environment and the desperate lives of the residents therein can often make such areas a breeding place for vice and bitterness - unless it comprises a community of saints who seek peace in poverty.

However, it is useful to remember that wealth and poverty, happiness and misery are all relative terms. One person maybe rich but unhappy, another maybe poor but happy. Wealth is a blessing if rightly and wisely used. But part of the tragedy of the poor is their selfish desire of material things. If their cravings are not fulfilled, they live with resentment. The tragedy of the rich is their inability to rise above their wealth. They cling to their wealth foolishly. Hence happiness is not found in their case, with the poor or the rich.

Some people think that a good and congenial life partner is a source of happiness. It maybe so to some extent.Other people think that children are another source of happiness. But these are not stable conditions either. A life partner can die or leave them, while some children could bring more sorrow than happiness to their parents.

We should learn to be contented and happy with what little we have which has been bestowed on us. We should even be happy and contented with our present state of human being even though we are not fortunate enough to be blessed with the least of our humble expectations.Remember its always better to have something than nothing at all.