Everyone wants to be happy. However, the definition of happiness remains elusive. This essay will discuss why it is so and offer some ways of pursuing happiness.
For some reasons the concept of happiness is still difficult to define. This might be mainly because people attach different values to their pursuit of happiness. Some see it in material wealth, while others perceive happiness in fame and power, for instance. Moreover, our need for happiness could be insatiable, which means we keep wanting more and more and just take our present moments of happiness for granted. As a result, we may never understand what happiness is and continue chasing our own tails. Therefore, happiness may not be easily defined.
However, there are certain universal values that can make people happy. One of them is certainly wealth. Many people believe that money brings happiness, enabling people to own their mostly desired possessions, such as luxury houses, cars and accessories. Hence, people keep longing for more and more wealth in search of true happiness.
Another possibly stronger factor is fame. Celebrities are always seen with big chuckles on their faces, a very strong external sign of happiness for common people. They seem free from worries. Everybody admires them, and they hold a very high social status and enjoy the best privileges of life. This motivates people, in particular youngsters, to chase after fame, promising an ultimate happiness.
The major contributor to people’s happiness, in my view, is quality relationships, though. There are numerous cases of the rich and famous leading miserable lives, which proves that these two cannot always guarantee happiness. However, people surrounded with healthy relationships are said to lead truly happy and healthy lives. This was backed by a long-lasting Harvard study on human happiness. The research involved studying a group of children until their final years of life and concluded that being in good relationships is the precursor to happiness.
In conclusion, even though there is no framework of happiness, in the majority of cases people who have a certain amount of wealth, fame and good social lives are considered to be happy.