IDEA OF HAPPINESS

Sometimes I ask myself what the real meaning of happiness is. The answer (responded by my inner conscience) seems unrealistic. Vague! 

Does wealth really mark the transition of happiness? If yes, how come (most) wealthy not being happy? Do those living life luxuriously find it meaningful or happy? Meaning, does their life signify happiness? Are they satisfied? 

And, what about those living their life within means? Are they content with their life? If yes, then how do we explain their craving for boundless prosperity? I've witnessed many of them envisaging a life replete with wealth. 

Is happiness mirage? 

Well, this seems a bit practical to me as my discretion concedes to it.

I find most individuals treating happiness in a strange way; they wish to amass aplenty wealth to bring prosperity to their impoverished life, but then end up seeking happiness in the non-materialistic sources, something akin to spirituality or pilgrimage or even long, deep meditation at Ashram. Alas, they wasted a big part of life in amassing wealth. When they accomplished it at the expanse of mental peace and physical health, aversion to temporal pleasures descends all of a sudden. 

What a focused activity of life (with regards to amassing wealth) that they once thought to be the core objective of life suddenly turns up a mildly developed sense of anathema which then eventually becomes a deeply entrenched belief prompting them to forsake materialistic pursuit and instead SEEK HAPPINESS IN SOMETHING UN-MATERIALISTIC. 

But even the approach to attain happiness through the non-materialistic means (spirituality, for instance) can’t instill the sense of true happiness in seekers. That's because seeker is still subconsciously enslaved to materialistic happiness. Somewhere in his heart, there is still undying crave for temporal happiness that tries to dissuade the seeker from the path of spirituality, the craving refrains him from making a tryst with the non-materialistic spiritualism found in the form of leading simplified lifestyle akin.

Sometimes I concur happiness is subjectively perceived experience. Means, you’re happy as you focus your (positive) thought into one single idea of happiness. Later, your idea of happiness is hatched within the pit of your subconscious mind. In due time, the subconscious mind delivers the idea in its physical manifestation in your life. 

Thus, the idea you thought consciously is transferred by your conscious mind to the subconscious region. Finally, in your life, you experience the exact condition, experience as thought upon. In short, happiness is the result of the thought that you impregnate in your subconscious mind. 

This is my theoretical understanding. I derived it from a book, THE POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND by Joseph Murphy. He outlines some remarkable aspects of subconscious mind in the book. In short, the book just emphasizes omnipotence of subconscious mind. If I believe what’s outlined in the book, then the happiness is just the product of someone’s thoughts. And I find the idea hard not to contend with. Indeed it is.

What’s your idea of happiness, by the way?