Desire and Happiness

'Happiness is not a journey; it is a destination.'

-       Ben Sweetland

'Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.'

-       Abraham Lincoln

'Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.'

-       Jim Rohn

Where is happiness? What is the happiness quotient?

All of us have desires. I don’t believe there is anyone without desires. Even if there is anyone who says that he wants to be without desires, the very desire not to desire is itself a desire! We derive happiness when our desires get fulfilled. There is such joy and contentment when it happens. But, wait. When do we actually attain happiness vis-à-vis our desires?  Is it when it is created? Or when it is fulfilled? Well, when the desire is created, there is a deep expectation for such desire to get fulfilled.  

Mathematically, the following expresses the happiness quotient:

Happiness Quotient = Desire Fulfilled

                                 Desire Created

Ah, wait. What happens when we attain the desire? When we actually see our desire fulfilled? Are we happy? Don’t we move on to the next desire? We do. Our needs, desires, wants…..they are unending and we believe that our happiness rests on each one of these getting fulfilled. But is it really so? If we derive happiness in getting our desire fulfilled, why do we go forth to our next desire? Don’t we once again, give the keys to happiness in the fulfillment of the next desire? 

The object of desire is the same, it does not change at times. One car to another car. One house to another house. One shirt to another shirt. Hence happiness is not in the object, I feel. The happiness is in the phase when there is no desire at all. There is a phase when our desire is fulfilled till the next desire manifests itself. This is the phase when we are truly happy; simply because our happiness is not dependent on the fulfillment of anything. The mind is calm and can go to bed peacefully. There is lack of universality in happiness as a concept, but this is one truth.

“I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them.” ~ John Stuart Mill

There is no happiness in the desire getting fulfilled, but curiously, there is happiness when there is no desire - when we do not base our happiness on the happening or non-happening of any event. We are so overwhelmed by our never-ending desires in life that we do not choose happiness when we can. 

Thus, happiness in in us, it is not somewhere out there. We choose to be happy and not the other way around. As they say, the happiest people do not necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have!               

Read on the net - A man said to the Buddha, “I want Happiness.” Buddha said, first remove “I”, that’s ego, then remove “want”, that’s desire - now you are left with only “Happiness”.