In pursuit of happiness . . .
I’m not a white-bearded philosopher but I have a philosophy. I’m sure you have one for yourself. So we are all philosophers in one way or the other. It’s just that our philosophy may not be sound enough that it gets shot down a few rounds of logical reasoning. Then it would turn into beliefs. Anyway, you can’t question my beliefs because they are mine and they need not be logical because they are beliefs. What I’m going to write today is all about my philosophy or belief or whatever you’d like to call it.
Do you know what gives you happiness? I hope you do. Otherwise, think about it today. To talk about what gives us happiness, let’s first talk about needs and wants. We all have needs and wants. Needs are what I would call as essentials for my basic existence and social status. Money is a need. Job is a need. A house or a car can also be a need. Satisfying the needs may not really give us true happiness. Needs follow Maslow’s theory of hierarchy. Once you satisfy yourself of a need, the other need is created or you create it. Needs are not wants. Wants are the expectations and desires that you as a person have for yourself. Unless you know what you want, you can never be happy.
The richest man is not the happiest man. The strongest man is not the happiest man. The most handsome man is not the happiest man. The most powerful man is not the happiest man. Even if one man happens to be the richest, the strongest, the most handsome and the most powerful, he may still not be the happiest man. Being rich, strong, handsome and powerful are all needs, temporary needs. These are needs that one may not realise as temporary needs when he has not achieved them.
Needs are those that you want ‘for your life’. Wants are those that you want ‘from your life’. Now that we have separated needs and wants, what are your wants? As we realise, needs never end. They only grow. While they are growing, think of your wants as well. What do you want from your life? How do you want to lead your life? Now compare the answers for this question with the list of needs that you have. You’ll realise that it is highly possible to satisfy your wants without satisfying your needs. Bed is a need and sleep is a want. If you keep upgrading beds without sleeping enough or realising that sleep is what you want more than the bed, it would be a sad life. For the society, you could be a grand success for only you know that you’ve wasted your life.
It’s quite important to know if we are driven by wants or needs. Needs are meant to be supporting your wants. Your wants are the purpose of your life. Your needs are supposed to help you further. Your needs don’t exist by themselves. They are there because you have certain wants. While the needs support the wants, they have no reason to exist if you have no wants. In reality, there could be people who have not identified their wants. But they would have identified their needs otherwise the society would help them identify. It is fully possible for someone to spend all their lives running behind the needs and dying without even thinking about what they actually want.
In the normal course of life, we are prepared only to handle our needs. Our education and our careers are all about handling needs. So it’s quite possible to get into this quick sand of needs and believe that’s all life is all about. Needs have no purpose by themselves. Getting rich, attaining power and reaching targets are all supposed to give you something. That’s what one must be aware of.
People who don’t identify their wants will never be happy. Because, having achieved all the needs, they would still experience that emptiness which they can’t explain. That happens when you don’t know what you want from your life. Now think of those things that make you really happy, things that give you sense of satisfaction. Exclude gratifications which are different from happiness. Gratifications arise as you fulfil a need or a desire. Think of only those things that you want from life, only those things you want others to give and you want to give to others. Once you know your wants, and once you realise that they are the very driving force of your life, needs may not even matter, let alone being very important.
For all of us, the want is to be happy. That’s for each one of us. We tend to believe that happiness comes in being more rich, more powerful and all that but the reality is happiness comes in being happy. It’s as simple as that. I want to live my life happily and spread this happiness to as many people as possible. That’s my want. My happiness comes in being happy. And I realise that unhappiness disappears when you create happiness for others. I think life is simple unless you’re bored with it and try complicating it.
That’s my philosophy in a nutshell, or in a blog entry, to be exact. This philosophy of mine is something I have concluded and realised based on understanding and experience of life. Don’t go on to try proving them wrong. Because I’m not open for logic 
Wow….. Vijay, did you drafted this post in a beauty parlor or what.? Our blog is simply Fabulous, Marvelous, & Glamorous & Stunning now.
ohhhhhh not again.. How many times I should say this – “Another top notch post”. I was anticipating similar kind of post from you at last my anticipation seized. I wish to see rating for every post at least for lazy ppl like me to vote so that I wouldn’t end writing every time. Ok leave it, maybe I ‘feel happy’ writing than voting
By reading the title first I thought it would be reg. “In pursuit of happiness” movie? But you took me to reality with the post. I believe and exactly in the same page of every word you typed in the last para – “For all of us”. I wish you conclude it as – “For all of us, the want is to be Happy & PEACE.” It can happen & initiate only when everyone start respecting each other irrespective of circumstances and stop believing happiness is in wealth, rank, position, name, fame, property, power, lifestyle & social status. I too believe & sync with your philosophy based on my understanding&experiences from people & books.
To my experience, If one wish to feel & experience eternal happiness, he has to explore, search & find within, else its not possible to find elsewhere. History says, many philosopher’s, saint’s & sages since ages say, the perpetual happiness happen & attain only through Spiritual ‘Meditation’ which can be obtained in different flavors. It cannot be achieved overnight as one need to prepare his mind and it takes time. Well said, ‘Spread Happiness as many as you can’ and ‘gratification keep changes and does’nt last long’; the search for more starts again and it goes on as most don’t believe that happiness is within.
Hey MKP – Thanks a lot! I’m glad that we agreed on this! We don’t even have to take up meditation and be spiritual and all that. We can lead a simple life, think good, say good, act good, be happy and positive, spread that happiness and positivity. That’s it.
Vijayyy……
I agree, most of us wish to think good, say good, act good, be happy & positive. But, how many are implementing? It fails in implementation as one’s expectations are always high from each other & thinks different when with friends/relatives/family. Though you wish to lead simple life by acting good, saying good… to all your relations… but if you are not as per the expectations/anticipation of others the emotions go high and the perception ends -ve at both ends and you or others react as per the circumstances instead of correcting. So unless one keep his mind calm, composed, suppress anger, doesn’t react much… (which happen only through meditation), accepting everyone & spreading of happiness & love/care to everyone can’t be productive to my experience though you wish to.
Yes . . . Mmmm…I agree.
I am curious to know the trick of seeing one’ s life in a simplified manner.
Some companies do carry simple tagline to describe them.
Think different – Apple
Just do it – Nike
The art of performance – Jaguar
Reach out and touch someone – AT&T
Fly the friendly skies – United Airlines
Don’t leave home without it – American Express
The ultimate driving machine – BMW
Absolutely, positively overnight – Fedex
The choice of a new generation – Pepsi
We bring good things to life – GE
We deliver for you – US Postal Service
The happiest place on earth – Disneyland
Innovation – 3M
We love to see you smile – McDonalds
You will never roam alone – Travelocity
Is ” simplicity ” the most difficult thing on earth ?
Prithvi,
I think it is difficult to practice simplicity on earth…
You wear dress is simplicity, you wear only a particular brand dress is not
There is a huge business oppurtunity for conducting crash courses in “Simplicity ” – ))
Imagine very sonn there would be qualifications like ” PhD in Simplicity
I am back
Too much of needs and wants Vj. Oof got to talk with your better half first
Theory of being happy? Well it differs person to person. It is more important to self – realise why am I happy and for what I am happy before I think about my happiness. The more easier I am able to self realise the more natural my happiness becomes.
I also go to be mentally prepared to loose myself million times before attempting to make someone really happy! Maturity to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes is also important to adjust to their environment.
On need and wants, you are absolutely right! I now realise it after joining my CTM course
The extent to which I am able to reach and understand my subconscious mind will help me realise and understand my wants. Unfortunately very rarely someone works on needs to attain his wants. Both are almost always irrelevant!
Belief is something someone practices without his consciousness. May be because of the way he has been brought up or because of the influence of his friends or colleagues or may be even because of his favourite childhood movie. I just now realised that I too had few beliefs! Most favourite being, loose yourself to gain someone!
Money is a need, job is not a need! Job is usually a chore, it’s only one of the means to get money. Coming to the issue of happiness and one’s credo, I guess you were more open to logic so that we could have discussed. When you title your blog as “Critical Thoughts” one would expect you to have a critical bent of thinking, right? Anyway, I have a critical blog too, and I am all for logic! Maybe you would like to check it out – http://gobergas.blogspot.com
Feel happy by bringing hopes and smile for someone hopeless and sad.
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Happiness is a state of mind and the best way to be happy is ofcourse to ‘Love yourself’…..We need to love ourselves to be content, happy. Love yourself. Be good to yourself. Treat yourself well. Replenish yourself. You will discover that, the more you love yourself, the more you will be able to give love to others – and the more others will want to be around you and give back to you. This is a win-win situation. Loving yourself will ultimately benefit the lives of others you encounter, as well as your own life.