Happiness. Is it important? Does it matter? What is its value?
The feeling you call happiness results from an inner alignment within you. It feels good precisely because of that alignment. It creates a sort of harmony in your energy where your default setting may be a certain amount of discord or dissonance.
Sound is vibration. Music is vibrations. In music, two notes that are dissonant actually have vibrations that fight, in a sense. That is, they beat against each other, and that is what you hear as disharmony.
The dissonance within you is similar. As you can imagine, this results in a certain amount of wasted energy. Happiness and harmony waste less energy, so in that way, they are more "energy efficient" to use one of your current buzzwords.
The harmony feels good, and is often accompanied by a release of inner tension, which also saves energy. All of this, happiness, relaxation, less resistance, is very good for your health and wellbeing. Anything that impairs or resists energy flow is unhealthy.
Beyond that, happiness and non-resistance enable you to glide through life more freely and easily. Which leads to more happiness! You see how this works? Happiness actually feeds itself.
As does unhappiness, for reasons you can probably figure out.
Not only that, but when you are happy, you look happy. Other people see you and brighten up themselves, automatically. Even if they don't know you, your happiness may make them smile, too, because we are naturally empathetic creatures.
Sadly, the reverse is also true, and it's more likely you recently experienced that, than the other: Your boss or coworker or family member was in a bad mood. It spread, and the light went out of your day.
For this reason, working toward your own personal happiness and fulfillment is not entirely a selfish endeavor. This is particularly true if you make a conscious effort to share it and spread it as you move through your daily life. A cheerful chat with someone while you stand in line won't just make the time pass more quickly, but it may also brighten their day. Even if you never meet again, you have done them a favor. Maybe a badly needed favor. Yours may be the only friendly face they see that day. And maybe in turn, they will find it within themselves to smile at someone else who needs it. The ripple effect.
Contrary to what some think, suffering does not virtue make. Why would a loving God want you to suffer? This does not make sense. Why would a loving God want anything other than your happiness and fulfillment? Unless you wanted something else, just for a change of pace.
Your happiness increases your energy quotient, and enlarges your sphere of influence. That means, the happier you are, the more you can bless with your happiness.
If you doubt the truth of this, consider the impact of the recent royal wedding. The happiness of that (obviously influential) young couple blessed millions of people who tuned in to witness their nuptials and literally share their joy. It was palpable, wasn't it? And it spread across the world, which became a lighter, brighter, happier place, and not just for one day.
So yes, happiness is important and desirable. Sharing it is valuable. Find new and pleasant ways to do so.
We wish you happiness and fulfillment in all of your endeavors.
Be good to yourselves as well as to others.
Namaste.
It's true that happiness emits ripples as a rock thrown into a lake does. The effects keep going and going, causing others to lighten up and change their entire outlook. Recently I was feeling tired and dejected after work but a friend's positive outlook and cheerful demeanor had a profound impact thus I was put in a good mood. The same is also true for sadness. Nice post!!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know that happiness is not merely a self-indulgent or selfish thing.
ReplyDeleteI think in this challenging world, seeing someone happy can give hope that you, too, can find happiness, too. That's probably the first step.