- 7,436
- Canada
- photonrider
What's that?
How do you put it in words? Can you do? I'd be happy to read you.
How do you put it in words? Can you do? I'd be happy to read you.
Happiness.
- Thread starter photonrider
- 233 comments
- 16,508 views
- 5,693
- Canada
Making me think photonrider, I like that.
For me, happiness is many things.
Happiness is when I was smaller (age 6-10), when my dad and I would go to his friend's house. They would drink beer and talk about life and stuff, while I'd be in the living room, with music on, playing Gran Turismo 2 on his old 1970's tv, with the engine noise so loud it felt like you were actually driving the car, I would bring my steering wheel and sit in his buddies comfy chair, driving the Honda Accord wagon. I used to be able to shift back then.
Happiness is when I used to not have to deal with peer pressure, and homework and due dates etc. and didn't have a worry in the world, when everything went at your own pace. Responsibilities weren't really present then.
Happiness is the satisfaction of seeing a smile on someone's face after you cheered them up, they may have been sad before, but you know that you made them happy.
Happiness will be the day I own a new Dodge Dart, and live in the house dad's friend used to live in, the one I used to visit with my dad back in the day. When I can sit in the living room with navy blue walls, a thick carpeted floor, with an old stereo system that can play the tunes I used to hear.
That is what happiness is to me.
For me, happiness is many things.
Happiness is when I was smaller (age 6-10), when my dad and I would go to his friend's house. They would drink beer and talk about life and stuff, while I'd be in the living room, with music on, playing Gran Turismo 2 on his old 1970's tv, with the engine noise so loud it felt like you were actually driving the car, I would bring my steering wheel and sit in his buddies comfy chair, driving the Honda Accord wagon. I used to be able to shift back then.
Happiness is when I used to not have to deal with peer pressure, and homework and due dates etc. and didn't have a worry in the world, when everything went at your own pace. Responsibilities weren't really present then.
Happiness is the satisfaction of seeing a smile on someone's face after you cheered them up, they may have been sad before, but you know that you made them happy.
Happiness will be the day I own a new Dodge Dart, and live in the house dad's friend used to live in, the one I used to visit with my dad back in the day. When I can sit in the living room with navy blue walls, a thick carpeted floor, with an old stereo system that can play the tunes I used to hear.
That is what happiness is to me.
- 5,693
- Canada
- 15,854
- QLD, Australia
- Small_Fryz
Happiness is when you wake up and look forward to the day. Its when you enjoy your time on this planet. Its when you look forward to the future.
Happiness is when you just sit there and think "🤬 Life is fun and I'm enjoying it"
I can honestly say that life is never perfect so you can't expect to base it off that. But the song 2 out or 3 ain't bad comes to mind.
Ive had a lot of money + good job but no friends and been sad.... Ive had friends but no money and a 🤬 job and been sad. Ultimately it comes down to appreciating what you do have and making the most of it. You can never wait for all the stars to line up... Make the most of what you have and just enjoy life. Doesnt mean you settle for what you have, but you appreciate what you have and you try to improve. It might not always be possible, but at least you appreciate what you have gotten so far and you have tried to improve.
Anyway, the pursuit of happiness is a life long discussion that is open to many interpretations.
Happiness is when you just sit there and think "🤬 Life is fun and I'm enjoying it"
I can honestly say that life is never perfect so you can't expect to base it off that. But the song 2 out or 3 ain't bad comes to mind.
Ive had a lot of money + good job but no friends and been sad.... Ive had friends but no money and a 🤬 job and been sad. Ultimately it comes down to appreciating what you do have and making the most of it. You can never wait for all the stars to line up... Make the most of what you have and just enjoy life. Doesnt mean you settle for what you have, but you appreciate what you have and you try to improve. It might not always be possible, but at least you appreciate what you have gotten so far and you have tried to improve.
Anyway, the pursuit of happiness is a life long discussion that is open to many interpretations.
- 15,854
- QLD, Australia
- Small_Fryz
yeah is one of those things... if you think happiness will come when you do X.. it wont.. Its more you need to accept that you are happy regardless... then when you do achieve X you become "more happy"..
- 3,245
- United Kingdom
- TankAss95
Small_Fryz
True.
I think this is somewhat similar with the fact that we all, at some stage in our lives, try to be happier than everyone else. The fault is though that we overestimate how happy everyone else really is.
In my opinion being truly content and happy will come when you stop being proud about yourself (as I have said above). Happiness is a really strange thing when considering the totality and longevity of a lifetime. This is why we see so many celebrities going crazy and people having mid-life crisis'
.
- 6,777
- Florida
- gtamann123
I agree with everyone's own interpretations.
Happiness is particularly difficult to experience in my life, because I've always lose a bit of meaning to it every day. I've always thought happiness would never last for me, but as what Fryz said, I try my hardest of what I have now and make something out of it. I've put up with a lot of depression lately & I do not want to put up with it so many times.
Happiness is particularly difficult to experience in my life, because I've always lose a bit of meaning to it every day. I've always thought happiness would never last for me, but as what Fryz said, I try my hardest of what I have now and make something out of it. I've put up with a lot of depression lately & I do not want to put up with it so many times.
- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
Happiness to me is living the American dream, and remembering the days of my youth and how much fun it was to play with all my friends at home all the time. What's the American dream one might ask? It's what you want it to be. It's what you want out of life. Nothing is too far fetched if you put your mind to it. Want a Lamborghini? Do what you need to so you can get that Lambo. Anything is possible. (Except the government is starting to limit us, a topic for another thread).
- 19,013
- Jersey V.1.0
- axletramp
It's down to the individual as well. I suppose the question is perhaps 'what is happiness to me?' or 'what makes me happy?'. This can change through your life. When you're younger happiness probably comes easier as your needs aren't as deep (generalising here), but as you grow older you seek a deeper and longer lasting happiness. The irony being that the pressures and experiences of life often make that harder, if not impossible, to achieve.
Happiness itself is also difficult to nail down being that it is an emotion or emotional response. It can be gaining through a possession or winning something. It can be the rush of adrenaline for one person or simply sitting doing nothing for another, or it could be all of these and others.
Personally I prefer the happiness of making others feel good or be happy themselves. I get great pleasure from making people laugh. That of course sounds selfless, but it could also be feeding a type of personal selfishness in making me feel good in return. We are complicated machines.
Obviously my wife and children make me happy...
when they're not making me tear my hair out.
Happiness itself is also difficult to nail down being that it is an emotion or emotional response. It can be gaining through a possession or winning something. It can be the rush of adrenaline for one person or simply sitting doing nothing for another, or it could be all of these and others.
Personally I prefer the happiness of making others feel good or be happy themselves. I get great pleasure from making people laugh. That of course sounds selfless, but it could also be feeding a type of personal selfishness in making me feel good in return. We are complicated machines.
Obviously my wife and children make me happy...
when they're not making me tear my hair out.
- 3,679
- Warwick Uni
- lbsf1 GTP_lbsf1
- obsmu (my brothers acount)
I'm probably happiest when I have adrenaline pumping through my system (after a tough kart race, after doing a hard downhill run on my bike). That to me is when I'm happiest, when I'm feeling like an absolute boss.
To different people its different things though, some people prefer helping others and that is what makes them happy, some people find playing an instrument happy. It just depends on the person.
Thinking about it I'm pretty happy at the moment, finished my second to last exam, ran home from school afterwards (4 miles in 40mins cross country) and now sitting here at my computer with a shandy.
To different people its different things though, some people prefer helping others and that is what makes them happy, some people find playing an instrument happy. It just depends on the person.
Thinking about it I'm pretty happy at the moment, finished my second to last exam, ran home from school afterwards (4 miles in 40mins cross country) and now sitting here at my computer with a shandy.
- 7,436
- Canada
- photonrider
Hollow - having lived for some time in the U.A.E. (as I mentioned to you in your 'get-to-know-me' thread over at the Intro SubForum) I know what that's like. Once, rushing through the Staff Parking lot at two in the afternoon to get groceries (yes, very noob) I found some of the Kitchen Staff pelting eggs at the unpopular Resident Mgr's car which was parked out there in the 50º<C heat. The eggs fried pretty much on contact, albumin going from transparent to white in seconds. It was the worst mess I've ever seen on a car.
Alex, what a great post; I was happy just reading it. You paint a picture of happiness that sounds very peaceful.
A Dirtbike gives that feeling of freedom so closely linked to Happiness. As for Canada . . . 👍 👍
Well, Fryz - you being somewhat of a legend here, (am I mistaken or are you now a meme, too?) I have read up on your history - and Wow!, to know you have taken such a beating from Life - and still have a smile that only the King of the Kick-Ass Mountain can genuinely wear - it's very inspirational. Great post.
I usually have a good half-dozen reasons for starting a discussion; one of them for this one is the fact that the 19 Photodogs that are harnessed to the Photography Contest over at the Photo Forums have the most insane challenge for this fortnight : Topic - Happiness. One Picture that will express that. No doubt the others are as challenged as I am - how do we turn 1000 words into a picture? This thread will surely help while we go hunting for a shot of that elusive, though universally human, trait.
True.
I think this is somewhat similar with the fact that we all, at some stage in our lives, try to be happier than everyone else. The fault is though that we overestimate how happy everyone else really is.
In my opinion being truly content and happy will come when you stop being proud about yourself (as I have said above). Happiness is a really strange thing when considering the totality and longevity of a lifetime. This is why we see so many celebrities going crazy and people having mid-life crisis'
Yes, Happiness is not a competition, it's personal.
And, yes, we should come to grips with the fact that life is short, and every second precious. Time - as I mentioned in the 'Multi-tasking' thread is not a renewable resource. Being Happy all the time only makes sense - but at what cost? Brave New World?
Now, there, Happiness was 'conditioned'. With terrifying results.
I'm not sure that depression has anything to do with 'Happiness'. Clinical depression is a physical thing and can be treated with medication. Maybe there are Doctors in the house here that could weigh in on this.
Find things that make you relieved or peaceful for a start, and maybe from there you can reach out and grasp the tendrils of Happiness - and may they drag you into its center.
I've found that Positive Thinkers are consistently (if not continuously) happy. And the satisfaction of 'wants' is of course the road to Happiness.
One danger to this is that, because then Happiness is dependent on the satisfaction of desires, desires once satisfied, lead to more desires, which if not satisfied, then leads to unhappiness - a good example of which would be Celebrity downfalls.
Which is what the OP says: Happiness - what's that to you?
But let's look at another reason why we are discussing this: What is Happiness? Before we try to express what it is to us - we must at least have a general definition of the phenomenon that we can all agree on. Or else we are all talking about a different 'thing'. This is a bit like that other elusive event called 'Luck'. Everyone has a different idea about it. Is it a 'thought'? A 'feeling'? An emotion? Can fish be happy? Or a dog? What is it that humans experience as 'Happiness'? It is generally accepted that 'Humour' for instance, is a 'Human' thing. So what then is this human thing called 'Happiness'?
This can change through your life. When you're younger happiness probably comes easier as your needs aren't as deep (generalising here), but as you grow older you seek a deeper and longer lasting happiness. The irony being that the pressures and experiences of life often make that harder, if not impossible, to achieve.
Happiness itself is also difficult to nail down being that it is an emotion or emotional response. It can be gaining through a possession or winning something. It can be the rush of adrenaline for one person or simply sitting doing nothing for another, or it could be all of these and others.
Personally I prefer the happiness of making others feel good or be happy themselves. I get great pleasure from making people laugh. That of course sounds selfless, but it could also be feeding a type of personal selfishness in making me feel good in return. We are complicated machines.
Obviously my wife and children make me happy...
when they're not making me tear my hair out.
Yes, Happiness, like the perfume that Emerson is talking about, seems to splash back at you when you throw it at others - in effect: when you make someone happy, their happiness is infectious, and you get happy, too.
When one angers another, then the anger seems to amplify, too.
This would make anyone happy. Well done. Now was it the feeling of relief that it's all over that led to that 'Happiness'?
Please elaborate? Or are you talking about a joint?
That is something only the person who prescribed the Prozac can say, Shem.
Of course, we can always shem something else, like soma.
So we find that comfort, peace, relief, laughter, even pride - are the stairs we tread on as we climb the stairway to the heaven of Happiness. This is a good start. We shall, holding on to each other for safety of course, continue to climb up these stairs. Thank you for a great discussion so far. And all in half a day!
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- 6,777
- Florida
- gtamann123
Oops, I didn't mean to put depression there. Guess I got mistaken.
Happiness for me is the sort of thing I don't feel all the time, and can be difficult to grasp. You can be happy if you get married, but you will not be happy if you don't enjoy your marriage. My basic interpretation is sort of like that. I can elaborate a bit more:
Times that I feel happy is when I have fun, when someone tries to cheer me up, when other people have a smile on their faces even when I'm not, or obviously, cheer someone else up. While happiness does not occur in my life a load of times, it does leave a bit of a warm sensation in my heart even when I do not realize it. Happiness may be in a single letter from your relatives that live afar, or in a glass bottle adrift in the sea that has riches stuffed inside. It might as well be pieing your mom or dad purely for amusement.
Happiness is something everyone would like to cherish. But it has its limits, and cannot dwell forever. "It's not a switch that you can turn on and off", as people say.
- 4,081
- Somerset
- Pagey279
I guess at this point in my life I am happy, the happiest I've been.
Do I have a decent job?
Nope. I stack shelves at sainsburys.
Do I earn a lot of money?
Nope. £4000 a year.
Is it still a job?
Yes it is, at the moment that's all I need.
I'm with the girl I love, I have a great bunch of friends, great family. My future looks pretty promising, before too long a lot of doors will be opening for me. I have a good summer planned, with one or two festivals along the way. That's all I could wish for really.
I do have a couple of regrets, there's one friendship I really wish I hadn't let slip through my fingers, a couple to do with past decisions I have made. There are a few problems at home and stuff, but that aside I can't think of anything that will make me any happier.
So happiness to me is just that, finding yourself at a point in life where you sit back and realise that you've got everything you could need, want and wish for.
Do I have a decent job?
Nope. I stack shelves at sainsburys.
Do I earn a lot of money?
Nope. £4000 a year.
Is it still a job?
Yes it is, at the moment that's all I need.
I'm with the girl I love, I have a great bunch of friends, great family. My future looks pretty promising, before too long a lot of doors will be opening for me. I have a good summer planned, with one or two festivals along the way. That's all I could wish for really.
I do have a couple of regrets, there's one friendship I really wish I hadn't let slip through my fingers, a couple to do with past decisions I have made. There are a few problems at home and stuff, but that aside I can't think of anything that will make me any happier.
So happiness to me is just that, finding yourself at a point in life where you sit back and realise that you've got everything you could need, want and wish for.
- 3,549
- Taipei
- GTP_ghskilla
Refers to a Beatles song I like. It's called "Happiness is a Warm Gun."
- 7,436
- Canada
- photonrider
Thank you for your response.
Well, now everybody knows where that came from - but which part is analogous to 'Happiness'? There was sexual, as well as drug symbolism in the song. And then there was what Lennon said : "A warm gun means you just shot something."
No doubt in the days we had to hunt rabbits for dinner, a warm gun was happiness. Though not for the rabbit.
It is also well known that some are happy being cruel. But that of course, is Happiness at the cost of someone else's grief.
However - if you mean that listening to the song makes you happy - I can understand that; Beatle songs remind me of my childhood - quite a happy time.
RED mine - stunning realization, isn't it? Yes, it seems that the 'Heart' is what feels real Happiness - while the 'Head' merely feels pride, egotism, or self-servitude. Good post - thanks for clearing up the 'depression' bit.
While Depression is a debilitating illness, the word is sometimes overused, e.g: "I'm depressed because I can't log into FB today."
Bolded mine. Yes, 'Regrets' are the biggest barrier to Happiness. Regret is Hell. We try our best, I guess, at not having to do stuff we regret - though quite often we can set things right if we try.
Finding yourself at a point where you've got everything you could wish for? Heaven.
Cheers, everybody - and have a Happy Day!!
Harry
- 29,585
- Thailand
To me, anything while I'm outside of a depression is happiness.
Dark, joy sucking lifelessness of a blacked soul and mind. The pure opposite to happiness must be depression. Having been suffering for years with it I really can attest to the fact that happiness is little more than not being sad.
- 3,871
- Chad
- kennylmao
👍
When I was young, I used to think happiness is attained when you achieve your goals, when you get what you want out of life. Man, did I have big dreams back then.
Now at 19, I realized that happiness is attained when you come to terms with whatever average life that you have. To be happy, you just accept how things are.
You could probably still acquire the first kind by achieving your goals but this kind of happiness normally doesn't last. So in order to acquire long term happiness, you just accept what you have, shut up and be happy with it.
Well, at least that's what I think of happiness. Apologies if it sounds a little depressing.
- 15,613
- wrexham
- jameskent86451
- Jamobomb86
Im not particulaly happy at the moment..
..last year, the company i worked for went out of business, and me and at least 40 other people were made redundant..and since then, ive struggled to find a job, i had a xmas job...but i didnt get a permanent job there so i have been looking all this year..with no luck, its really tough out there in this cuurent climate..
so here iam..im 26 years old, still living at home, no job, no money, no girlfriend..but y'know what..its ok because im not alone, there are thousands like me in this country..and even though things arent good at the moment, its just a little blip..a bump in road if you like..
im still determined to get a job and get out of this rut..im not letting it get me down!
..last year, the company i worked for went out of business, and me and at least 40 other people were made redundant..and since then, ive struggled to find a job, i had a xmas job...but i didnt get a permanent job there so i have been looking all this year..with no luck, its really tough out there in this cuurent climate..
so here iam..im 26 years old, still living at home, no job, no money, no girlfriend..but y'know what..its ok because im not alone, there are thousands like me in this country..and even though things arent good at the moment, its just a little blip..a bump in road if you like..
im still determined to get a job and get out of this rut..im not letting it get me down!
- 4,794
- Canada
Sorry guys but:
This thread =
Edit: Alright vandenal; if you insist: Happiness is going home and watching B-movies.
There you have it folks.
This thread =
Edit: Alright vandenal; if you insist: Happiness is going home and watching B-movies.
There you have it folks.
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- 5,693
- Canada
Nice job contributing to the discussion terminator363 . Happiness is getting home from a frustrating day to see pizza and a Dr. Pepper on the table. To have people to vent to, that listen to what you say, but don't fear to correct you when you wrong. Knowing people care.
. Happiness is getting home from a frustrating day to see pizza and a Dr. Pepper on the table. To have people to vent to, that listen to what you say, but don't fear to correct you when you wrong. Knowing people care.
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