Hello Friends,
Yes, happiness is different for different people. My questions today are: Is it elusive? Is it ephemeral? Can it be permanent? Is it a state or just a feeling?
"People also ask
What defines happiness?
Typically, happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction.Nov 7, 2022"
I am not limited to religious thought, simple contentment, or theoretical philosophical thought. I will explore what may be the very basic thought as I see it.
"Happiness is only partially determined by your genes — the rest is up to you and your environment. The hallmarks of happiness are feeling satisfied, enjoying daily activities, and feeling purposeful.May 18, 2022" https://www.businessinsider.com/
Let us imagine our emotions with respect to happiness like the surface of a body of water: The waves representing moods.
... Lake Titicaca is the largest freshwater lake in South America and the highest of the world's large lakes. ... 3 810 m above sea level . . .
The Dead Sea is the lowest lake in the world. It is located in Israel's Jordan Valley, which is also the lowest elevation point on Earth's surface. The surface of the lake is approximately 1,385 feet (408m) below sea level. U.S. Geological Survey. Land Below Sea Level by David K. Lynch. 2010. Retrieved online at: http://geology.com/below-sea-level/
The bottom represents depression, and the tips of surface waves represent happiness with its ups and downs. Using that illustration, I ask myself, am I a bottom dweller or a surface dweller, and am I in a high-altitude body of water or a low-altitude body of water?