What's up my fave Hivers! Come with me as I welcome you into a discussion of philosophy. Who doesn't like to dabble in philosophy here and there, right? It's literally explanations and different interpretations of life!
That begs the question: What is Happiness?
A simple question that opens up all kinds of different renditions and interpretations. When you think about it, being able to enjoy and celebrate the little things in life is what makes life fleeting. As humans, I don't think we ever get a lot of time to be happy. That's the reason why most of us get to rest and wind down on weekends and holidays.
"Happiness means a life of peace that is free from fear and discomfort."
-Epicurus (Greek Philosopher)
I like his interpretations of happiness the most. Epicutus' rendition of happiness is pretty common if we think about it, some may confirm his statement to be true or agree with it. He goes on to discuss misconceptions about happiness. Happiness DOES NOT solely come from:
1. ROMANTIC/SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS
As Epicurus went to study more about the best source of happiness, he concluded that happiness does not have to come from romantic/sexual relationships. He came to that conclusion from his observation of unhappy couples.
I, for one can confirm this, as I have experienced a romantic relationship before. Just once. Miscommunication and a mismatch of different personalities and beliefs played a big role in the breakup. I'd rate it a 6/10, enter at your own risk HAHAHAHA. But if I'm being real though, it's hard having a romantic relationship but I'm kinda grateful that it happened.
One thing that hasn't failed me so far is my ability to make good friends. Having platonic relationships is just pure bliss in my opinion. Epicurus seems to think the same thing as I do🤷♀💙
According to Epicurus, nothing increases our security more than friendship. As children, we make friendships and build relationships through those friendships. As we grow, those friendships grow with us. It is one of the only things that remain constant in a world where change is inevitable. Friendships change with time, and they adapt.
That's why I believe that having friendship as a base for every type of relationship is superior. Friendship allows us to slowly become vulnerable to people we want to open up to. When I say every type of relationship, I really mean EVERY TYPE of relationship. Classmates, coworkers, lovers, and even your own parents, just anything yk 🤷♀
2. MONEY
I kinda disagree but also disagree with his point here. Coming from a low-income family, I truly believe that money can buy happiness. A lot of problems can be solved with money, even health can be bought with the right amount of money most of the time. But too much of anything is bad for anyone.
Having too much money makes one greedy and forget about where they came from or why they want to have that much money. People tend to focus on work more when they get money from their jobs and forget to spend time with their loved ones.
According to Epicurus, money isn't what makes people happy. It's the "how". Working with wonderful people creates happiness. The feeling that we can help others through our work is what makes us happy, not the money.
3. LUXURY
This is a bit related to the last one, but this one is about what we do with our money. Our possessions.
Oftentimes, luxury is confused with comfort. We all want to experience a life where we do not have to worry, and we can have that through "luxury". But does luxury equal comfort?
In definition (according to Merriam Webster), luxury is something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary. As I interpret it, luxury is an excessive way of living. Having too much of something that we do not need. Having too much of something takes the enjoyment out of it.
According to Epicurus, we do not need to live in a big house or somewhere far away from everything. We only need to be present within ourselves and reflect. Take some time to wind down and relax. Writing thoughts down and meditating.
That brings us to the end of the list. To sum it all up Epicurus' theory on happiness, these are the ingredients to have happiness: real friendship, choosing a profession that is fulfilling and doing what you love, and lastly, finding comfort within yourself.
I want to live my life where I can live in happiness, I don't want happiness to be fleeting, I want it to last. If a pool of my tears is what it takes to have happiness, I would gladly accept it. Trying is what makes happiness. A better life is created with a genuine heart.
I got inspired to write about this because I was looking through the files I saved from school hehe. The Philosophy subject would have been my favorite in my first semester if Miss J was my teacher (my second sem teacher). I would have loved to hear about her thoughts and definitions of happiness!
You've read this far my dear readers?! That's amazing, thank you so much for your support. Feel free to comment on what makes you guys happy hehe. This has been Alme, I'll see you guys in the next one!💕