Don't Trust the Pursuit of Happiness

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, those are the self-evident rights of man (or woman), as stated in the American Declaration of Independence. We may not be American, but Canadians tend to get lumped in there anyway. I think that most North Americans agree that they value those three principles, and I think it’s fair to say that most North Americans make the last one the primary goal of their life.

Happiness. That’s what everybody wants right? That’s what everybody’s looking for. They may all be doing it in their own way, but the end goal is the same. Everybody wants to live a happy life.

But they shouldn’t. When people make finding happiness the purpose of their life, they play a risky game. Family members die, spouses leave, and people get fired or go broke. Most people rely on stability to be happy, and yet so much is beyond their control. Nobody can stop a family member’s death, and nobody can save one’s self from being laid off. If one’s purpose is the pursuit of happiness, and one is not happy, it may lead to feeling meaningless and disappointed. Ironically, the pursuit of happiness easily leads unhappiness.

There are many things worth striving for beyond happiness. Loyalty to family, perhaps. It is possible that one’s family will be broken, but it is always possible to be there for the kids a spouse takes, or for siblings, or parents. The odds of losing every family member are slim, and even then, there is such thing as non-blood family. People don’t have to be happy, but they can always feel useful by being there for friends of family.

Or, perhaps one could live to experience life. Everything: happiness, misery, excitement, uncertainty, fear, loneliness, love, it’s all out there to experience. Why not live for the sensation life offers? Or live to seek it out? Besides imprisonment, no one can take this away. I usually try to follow this path, but I don’t like to tie myself down.

However, I believe the most responsible goal to pursue is inner peace. Peace with the world and peace with one’s situation. This is probably the most difficult path to follow, but if successful, nothing can take it away. It doesn’t matter if people are imprisoned for life and everyone they know killed; they don’t have to be happy, but they can accept and be at peace.

The possibilities are endless, but happiness is far too fragile trust your life to. Don’t accept the purpose society hands out. Everyone’s situation is different; people need to find meaning on their own.