Even Angels Cry

Why is happiness such an elusive thing? It cannot all be accorded to intangible ambiguity, because we have moments of clarity where we think ‘ah, this is what happiness feels like’. But no one truly knows why we feel said sudden sparks of joy, or periods of peace. There’s the associated objects and relationships we enjoy, and experiencing these thus triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin, our ‘happy’ chemicals. But why is the question? How do humans all subconsciously form their own perception of how much a situation or an object brings them happiness, causing the brain to act in accordance?

Now, a psychology major might be able to provide the answer for you. But more commonly, people wonder about how temperamental their mood is. When we are down, the thought ‘why can’t my happiness last forever’ always comes unbidden. The common justification is painful, and therefore unacceptable to some. If happiness lasted forever, it won’t be happiness anymore. This argument functions on the basis that happiness is a comparative, and because humans are motivated or affected by discontent, happiness becomes all the more precious and attractive to us. It does seem rational that satisfaction leads to stagnancy, which may not truly bring about happiness in the end , and yet I am unable to shake off one question.

Really?

It was discussed in the previous post that "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, and applying a similar concept, things that make us feel happy, should still make us feel the same way irregardless. To raise a personal example, one of my greatest loves is bubble tea, and I consume it as much as I wish, achieving happiness in a very small part of my life. Now, happiness is defined by the Oxford Dictionary very helpfully, as the state of being happy. Breaking that down further, being happy, is feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. My consumption of bubble tea on a regular basis fulfils that criteria, as I am able to partake in something I enjoy, but not so much such that I will begin to tire of it, therefore keeping me at a content level. Do note that the aforementioned regular basis is much more regular than I would like, namely almost everyday. Despite this, I have not seen a decline in my liking for the drink in over a year. If anything, it has regretfully expounded.

By this point, it is probably evident that i subscribe to the thinking of the latter, and disagree to some extent that happiness will not be happiness if it has an everlasting quality to it. At the same time, I understand that this may boil down to a difference in defining the state of being happy. The first opinion, as mentioned above, is that this state is achieved by comparison. Monday was terrible, hence one feels all the more happy about Tuesday being a good day. Those who follow this line of thinking prize improvement or achievement of a relatively superior state, hence it is imperative to them that progress is made and they will never be permanently satisfied with the state of things. Another school of thought, is that happiness is a content state of mind that is not all too different from serenity. Those who accept and are satisfied with most of their life are largely at peace with themselves, and this allows for the contentment of being settled. Dormancy may not bother them all too much, and therefore happiness still being happiness if it lasts forever seems plausible.

Alternatively, I wish to focus on a more realistic take. See, the process of ordering bubble tea is relatively simple. I queue, dutifully and concisely explain how I wish my drink to be made, pay, collect, and drink. Even in these 5 steps, there could be major mishaps. The line is long, my order is misheard, the drink is expensive, the drink does not taste good, the list goes on. But most of the time, these do not happen, and I get to enjoy a fragrant cup of medium green milk tea from Koi, 50% sugar and no ice.

Regretfully, this is not the case for Life, as ideal as it may sound. Life is, complex, to say the least. A drink order has 5 steps, and Life probably holds about 5 times of a billion… multiplied by another billion for us. And even if an opportunity to be happy knocks on your door every minute of every day, it probably comes with a terms and conditions list that will down you. You receive a fully covered scholarship offer to the school of your dreams overseas, and this may send you on a wave of happiness lasting one or two months, but one night will find you in your dormitory room missing your parents who are hundreds of miles away. Because of the choices Life presents us, each wrapped with ribbons and barb wire, it is impossible to be completely satisfied, and therefore happy in any situation forever. This can also be attributed to our ability to feel a lot of emotions other than happiness, sadness and anger and envy to name a few. These, like happiness, can all be applied to situations, and therefore be evoked by Life.

Hence, the ponderance of whether happiness is happiness if it lasts forever, contentious as it may be, is diminished by the fact that none can achieve happiness forever, much less put a name to it. Most turn to substitutes that they view as small steps to work towards it, like money and fame. But among the crowd of forlorn faces and broken eyes forever entangled in the pursuit of glory, it is not difficult to lose oneself and their sight of happiness. In this society, it is no wonder that even angels cry.