To think it’s the word “happiness” that makes people miserable?

[ForBreezySloth]

I’ve been wondering lately if it’s the very idea of “happiness” that sets us up for disappointment. We’re constantly told we should be striving for it but doesn’t that just highlight all the times we’re not? Life isn’t always about feeling happy, right? Most of us just get on with things, facing our ups and downs, bearing our misfortunes without always seeking a perfect state of happiness.

Is it the pressure of trying to be happy that makes us miserable, rather than the actual pursuit itself?

I think if you are too focused on your pursuit of happiness and want to achieve a state of perfection then yes, you might be opening yourself up to disappointment. This is the issue in my view though, not the word happiness itself. Happiness is just a term used to define an emotion and it’s not the emotion that’s at fault for the way people behave. Absolutely the pressure of trying to be happy can be problematic, but I think it’s too literal to say that the word is the issue.

I think it’s good to strive for what makes you happy but no-one should expect a life without hardship. It’s part of life. There is inevitably more focus on happiness as we become a more secular society. Previously more people believed that their hardships would be redressed in an afterlife.