# Bethak - The Desi Lounge > Freedom Castle >  Is happiness Just an Illusion?

## Mariamah

i think it is illusion Although we're driven to find "happiness," life is an unpredictable ride.When peoples believe that they are happy.Are they really happy..how do we really know when we achieve it?our choices make us happy or outcome of these choices ?What Being happy mean to you?.you will be happy if you want or you would be happy without wanting happiness?

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## RAHEN

Happiness is a feeling...far away from illusion... :Smile:

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## AaDi

lets rephrase rahen .. shall we .. 

Happiness is a feeling which conveys that you are delighted about something. But again thinking of this really made me going .. so I looked around for the definition of 'happiness' .. the most convincing meaning I found was: _a pleasurable or satisfying experience_

Now this brings me to the reason I'm posting .. happiness is a feeling .. feeling a pleasant experience .. but I must agree to Mariamah, it can be an illusion .. an illusion to give us temporary joy .. to make us believe we have achieved something when infact it might back fire the next moment ..

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## RAHEN

doubts hve always killed feelings...in any direction u take...cause its itself negetive...happiness is a positive feeling...and to tell the truth of human nature...jo cheez humme khushi puhunchati hai...usk khone ka dar hamesha insaan ko hota hai...but this in no way would change the meaning of happiness...

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## Muzi

Happiness is a fantasy like life is

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## friendlygal786

Somtimes I do think that happiness is indeed an illusion...but it isnt, it is a true feeling and one that does enter one;s life at some point

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## Bored4life

happiness is knowing you've done right, and being proud of it.  It is also an emotion people get when they have achieved a certain accomplishment in life.

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## dsilva

*hey*

life is filled with dualities at some time u love something and in other times u completely abhore it and grow averse to it. its just a way of expressing and working out your karmas in your own response to situations that are created by feasting on sense perceptions. when u move on and find better ways to express inner peace things that were erroneous automatically leave replaced by other kinds of sense mortifications which are indeed very illusive until u find the ultimate.

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## mytonse

Happiness is dillusion if the whole current life one lives is.Its a dillusion to stand to the next real world,the hereafter.

Quoted the Religion point of view.Dont think quotations are necessary.

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## joquim

happiness is just an illusion, nobody can remain happy forever. happiness is the only thing that people desire for their own sake.people want to be rich not for the sake of being rich, but to be happy however circumstances like abusive relationships, loss of employment, conflicts  tend to reduce happiness all the time

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## joquim

happiness is illusion for me becoz we have become used to things which keeps us sad and depressed...In this world where we are living no news is good news for us. there is so much of crime,poverty, struggle for existence, acts of abuses, hatred, manipulation everywhere.how can one think of being happy over here. we often forget that happiness is in sharing,loving,giving and in more importantly in peace.Every good thing in life multiplies when  you share and give...

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## RAHEN

i agree one cant be happy when all the mishaps are happening around...but does that in any way say that happiness itself is an illusion...

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## VS Prasad

> ...happiness is a positive feeling...and to tell the truth of human nature...


Happiness is an agreeable feeling or condition arising from good
fortune or propitious happening of any kind. It is the possession
of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended
with enjoyment. It is associated with good luck, good fortune,
prosperity, well-being, delight, health, safety, and love.

Happiness is generic, and is applied to almost every kind of
enjoyment except that of the animal appetites. It ia a state of
well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to
intense joy. These include: bliss, joy, joyous, carefree,
jubilant, exultant, cheerful, playful, amused, fun, glad, gay,
gleeful, jolly, jovial, delighted, euphoric, ecstatic, thrilled,
elated, enraptured, comfortable, harmonious, and triumphant.
Societies, religions, and individuals have various views on the
nature of happiness and how to pursue it.

Only saint-like persons, who feel that they are no longer
interested in the external world, think that happiness is within.
For many persons, nothing can make them happy. Our minds are as
different as our finger prints - no two are alike. Listening to
loud music makes one happy and makes another unhappy. Hence,
there can be no single definition for happiness. It is probably
impossible to objectively define happiness as humans know and
understand it, as internal experiences are subjective by nature.
Because of this, explaining happiness as experienced by one
individual is as pointless as trying to define the color green
such that a completely color blind person could understand the
experience of seeing green.

As a state and a subject, it has been pursued and commented on
extensively throughout world history.

"Call no man happy till he is dead."  - Aeschylus

"Happiness is a positive cash flow."  - Fred Adler

"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true
happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but
through fidelity to a worthy purpose." - Joseph Addison

"True happiness arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of
one's self, and in the next, from the friendship and conversation
of a few select companions." - Joseph Addison

Happiness is often associated with the presence of favourable
circumstances such as a supportive family life, a loving marriage,
and economic stability. Kali Yuga, the age of darkness, is the
time when these favourables are difficult to find.

Unfavorable circumstances - such as abusive relationships,
accidents, loss of employment, and conflicts - diminish the
amount of happiness a person experiences. In all nations, factors
such as hunger, disease, crime, corruption, and warfare can
decrease happiness. However, according to several ancient and
modern thinkers, happiness is influenced by the attitude and
perspective taken on such circumstances.

From the observation that fish must become happy by swimming, and
birds must become happy by flying. Aristotle points to the unique
abilities of man as the route to happiness. Of all the animals
only man can sit and contemplate reality. Of all the animals only
man can develop social relations to the political level. Thus the
contemplative life of a monk or professor, or the political life
of a military commander or politician will be the happiest
according to their own psyche.

The following is the self-reported positive affect (i.e. positive
emotion) during the day by 909 employed women in USA:

Activities and their positive effect index:

Intimate relations 	5.10 	
Socializing 	        4.59 	
Relaxing        	4.42 	
Pray/Worship/Meditate 	4.35 	
Eating          	4.34 	
Exercising      	4.31 	
Watching TV 	        4.19 	
Shopping        	3.95 	
Preparing food  	3.93 	
On the phone    	3.92 	
Napping         	3.87 	
Taking care of 
my children     	3.86 	
Computer/Email/
Internet        	3.81 	
Housework       	3.73 	
Working         	3.62 	
Commuting       	3.45 	

Interaction with partners:

w/ friends      	4.36 	
w/ relatives    	4.17 	
w/ spouse/Significant 
other           	4.11 	
w/ children     	4.04 	
w/ clients/customers 	3.79 	
w/ co-workers   	3.76 	
w/ boss         	3.52 
alone           	3.41 	

Further, happiness is not entirely psychological in nature - it
has got a biological basis too. The neurotransmitter dopamine is
involved in desire and seems often related to pleasure. Pleasure
can be induced artificially with drugs. Use of drugs is not some
thing new, it has been used by many including Sanyasis since
millenia.

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## Glamorous-Ladee

no happiness is not an illusion.. it's a part of life.. ery1 goes thru some happy n some not so happy moments...

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## sikandar107

I agree with G.L.  Happiness is a perception and feeling.  Its upto you, as to how perceive it.  And its very much a part of our life.  Happiness is not a fantasy nor the life is.  Its very much real as both have a time frame to exist and both can be experienced.

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