Happiness....

What is Happiness? If you wikipedia it you get Happiness is a state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.^[1] A variety of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches have been taken to defining happiness and identifying its sources.

So is it something to be defined, and sought? Is it momentary or capable of being a constant? Where do you find it? Hmmm. Lately I have been wondering this very thing. My take is that happiness exists within every person, and is achievable at almost every moment. Unfortunately, we are so bound and busy that we miss it. Some people are so afraid to look inside themselves for it that they struggle constantly seeking that external source. Can the external forces make you happy? My thought is that no, they in and of themselves cannot. Their existence does not generate happiness, but sometimes can add a nice veneer. Can other people make you happy? For a moment, or a time.... but happiness lies in your own centred self. Are you self aware, willing to risk, willing to fail, willing to try and take responsibility for your own emotional wellbeing.....

Do we prescribe to the Utilitarian view of the "greatest happiness principle"? Do what you will providing it is not harming others? Can we side with Bentham where all forms of happiness are equal? Or with Mill who felt that happiness in the non-physical realms was of greater importance. And that happiness itself should not be seen as equal with contentment. He said "[i]t is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question."

A song from my childhood "Happiness runs in a circular motion, thought is like a little boat upon the sea. Everyone is a part of everything anyway, you can have it all if you let yourself be.... Happiness runs Happiness runs.... Happiness runs Happiness runs...."

At the Beach

Warmth
Spilling around my body in silence
Caressing the nooks
Hidden
Lulled by the rolling
waves

Voices call out wordlessly noisy
children's laughter sharp
cutting
through the rhythmic pounding
of water

Beatles or the Rolling Stones...

Listened to lots of music driving to work on Saturday and again on the drive to Marineland. I love the new Metric song where Emily Haines asks "Who'd you rather be, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones"... Really. Who would we rather be. The good guys with world notoriety or the bad boys with world notoriety. Would we still want to be trying to 'rock' in our golden years or have the class to appreciate where we were and not desperately grasp at the past (Sorry Mick!). Aesthetic purists or commercial success.... rocknrollas....It is a question that begs to be answered....

Why Rolling Stones:
.... the wild fun.
.... the sex (you know they were crazy)
.... the music that kicked ass and rocked

Why Beatles:
.... they were good boys you could take home
.... they were responsible for a whole change in music
.... everyone would know your songs and lyrics
.... they aged well and relatively gracefully (Sir's all around)

So it would seem that the Beatles are tipping the scale but if you had to choose knowing what you know now would you? Not me. I have lived a pretty safe life, give me the sex/drugs/rock&roll baby.... we only live once. Who'd you rather be... someone who bows out gracefully or keeps kicking to the end...