Happiness

The HISTORY OF HAPPINESS by McCahon starts by discussing the life of Harvey Ball. He created the happy face for a corporation but did not copyright it. So he made 45 dollars for his effort and the happy face brought millions to others.

The history of happiness is an interesting one.The Greeks saw it as a by product of luck.Being good was better than feeling good.

Christianity dismissed fortune and fate and saw happiness as something obtained in the next life.

The Enlightenment saw happiness as a God given right here on earth. However, it went too far.

You have a right to be happy ALL THE TIME. Carlyle suggested that happiness became to commonplace and not special. We all deserve happiness?

Today, it is hard to define happiness and that life is filled with much more. Some folks will have biochemical depression for years or the rest of their life. Some will be unhappy because they thought they always deserved happiness. Others come to know that the parameters to happiness kept rising. Thus there is collective despair. Happiness has become beyond reach.

The author cautiously does not define happiness and quotes others. If anything happiness has something to do with positive feelings, but beyond that, it is best left to the individual.