The Pursuit of Happiness

What is the pursuit of happiness? We all hear about the pursuit of happiness, but does any one know how to pursue happiness? When you pursue taking a picture of a whale, you go wale watching. Pursuing an adrenaline rush? Jump from a plane! Where do you pursue happiness? You can not pursue happiness.

Happiness is not a thing, it is not a place. Where can you look for it? I think when Guillaume Apollinaire said,“Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” he was right on the money. Happiness is a state of being. You are either happy or not. The people that I see who seem to be the least happy are the people who are fervently pursuing happiness.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Life and liberty are noble goals but the pursuit, is lost before it starts. Happiness can not be found in money (although, money does make some things easier), it cannot be found in power. It cannot be found in love or friendship. Happiness can never be found at all! Happiness can only be created or experienced.

Happiness is most often created in an experience shared. It is created in the pursuit of friendship, in the pursuit of love and yes also in the pursuit of money. If you are not creating happiness in all that you do what is the purpose of that pursuit.

When we escape from the fallacy of pursuing happiness, we can actually spend our time creating happiness. We can experience happiness in the pursuit of better things. For me happiness is found in having fellow mariners leave school with the knowledge to move forward in their career. We can create happiness in the pursuit of the perfect friendship, or at least a friendship that lasts and is true (Oh! that is perfect). How about the a brisk walk around the block. Happiness is sharing an evening of music, food and conversation with my wife and friends. What is their that will not create happiness? No t a thing. Even the death of a friend or relative could be, although tinged with sadness, seen as a time of happiness , knowing that they have passed on to bigger and better things. To the happiness of the next great adventure.

What is the pursuit of happiness? Where do you pursue happiness? You can not pursue happiness, happiness is here and now, just experience it.