The Philosophy of Happiness

The Greeks believed that we live to be happy; it is the only purpose of our life. Happiness is what everyone strives for; it is the goal of all our actions and activities. Ultimately, happiness is the raison d'être of our existence. The most straightforward answer to the most pressing and complicated question in philosophy is “what is the purpose of life?”

But can we ever achieve this goal? Can we ever attain happiness? Where does it come from? How do we reach it? These were the questions Greeks asked centuries ago. All humans had searched for the answers to these questions long before the Greeks ever existed and will keep looking long after we’re gone. The question of happiness is especially important today as it is being impacted by consumerism and capitalist ideas of maximalism. We have so much and still nothing.

What makes us happy?

Aristotle was the first Greek philosopher to do thorough research on happiness and put it into a book. He was fundamentally at odds with Plato and Socrates regarding our knowledge of happiness. For them, the question of self-knowledge is perhaps the most important question that gives us the answer to what will make us happy.

For Plato, happiness is the answer to the most critical intrigue of human life: "Why am I here?" But Aristotle is outraged by the enigmatic nature of Plato's interpretation of happiness. According to him, happiness is all about achievements, wealth, health, friends, knowledge, etc., generally all the things that lead to the improvement of human life.

In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle gives the example of an archer aiming at a target. In the same way, any human activity driven by the desire to achieve something is an attempt to hit the target of happiness.

A key component of Aristotle's theory of happiness is the virtue factor. He argued that an essential element in the pursuit of happiness is "absolute virtue" or, in other words, good moral character. For Aristotle, happiness is only attainable when you make good decisions and do good things. If you decide to do otherwise, you can never be happy.

The Greek obsession with how important it is to be happy is manifested in Hedonism, a school of thought based on the idea that all our actions aim to maximize happiness and avoid pain at all costs. For Christian philosophers, on the other hand, the purpose of life is not the pursuit of happiness, and virtue is necessary but not enough to achieve happiness. Happiness is in the hands of God. It is not controlled or created by humans.

So, how can we ever be happy?

In the modern world, happiness seems way more difficult to achieve than ever before. We must spend a big chunk of our lives studying, and right after we get our degrees, we’re expected to get jobs. A huge part of our life then goes to our 9 to 5 jobs and to waiting, the constant waiting, for the weekend, for the next holiday, for retirement, and then for death.

Capitalism and consumer culture force us to attach our happiness to what we can buy. But things are never enough, and we are never satisfied, we always want more, a bigger house, a faster car. So, the first rule of being happy is that we must not seek happiness in the form of material possessions.

Don’t seek the praise of others. Don’t try to please everyone because it is practically impossible. It doesn’t matter how good a life you’ve led. There’ll still be people standing around your death bed ready to welcome the sad event.

Put your focus only on things you have control over. The universe doesn’t owe us anything. It doesn’t revolve around us. We are nothing but a tiny speck in this vast and wide universe. We can’t bend anything to our wish. Nothing will happen just because we want it to happen. The only thing we have control over is our own actions and thoughts.

Want less. Don’t let consumerism convince you that having this or that will improve your life and make you happy. Wealth isn’t about having more significant possessions; it is about having lesser wants. Wealth can make your life significantly better but…

… know that life isn’t all about victories and achievements; it’s not about the destination but the journey because death is the only certain destination for all of us. And yes! Always remember death; it’s what makes everything meaningful and valuable. This quote from the movie Troy describes it more appropriately, “The gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed.”

The secret of happiness is not accomplishing everything in life or having a perfect life. Instead, the secret is being resilient in the face of adversity and setbacks.

Always look at life through the favourable lens of perspective and moving continuum of time.