pursuit of happiness?

Question

happiness is a relative term

for example i just bought a new car,i feel happy about it,but it is because i,me,have a new car.but if everyone have a new car,then the feeling of "i having a new car" will cease to exist, as it just becomes another ordinary thing,eg. i have a hat etc.
The term hedonic treadmill was coined in 1971 by Brickman and campbell in their essay, and i feel it well explains this situation.

We work hard to achieve something, but once we achieved it, it just become some mundane thing to us. eg.we work hard to buy a car, but once we get it, having it just cease to be an attraction to us and we will hope for ever higher goals.

True, this is exactly what had spurred our rapid advancement but it also generated various unnecessary byproducts such as the increasing stress level to cope with our ever increasing need

what do you feel about this?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

All of us feel the need to have some sort of goal to work towards in life. We all need a purpose. So maybe we decide that we want to save up to buy that new car and we are working hard towards saving for it.

Working hard makes us feel like we have a purpose because we are working towards something. When we can finally afford that car and enjoy it for a while, suddenly we don't feel as excited about it.

Thats when some of us realize either 1. We accomplished what we wanted to and we don't know what else to work towards or 2. The car doesn't really provide happiness.. maybe comfort.. but not happiness

Everyone feels the need to have a purpose or an understanding of the world. When we have fulfilled one purpose or understanding and we don't know which goal or reach out to next.. we feel lost.. and meaningless...

Life is meant for learning, understanding, and enjoying each others company. Of course.. add in any personal goals you as an individual may have. When you are feeling those moments where theres no excitement or no happiness... just tell yourself.. "I can take some time to relax and just enjoy what I have and what I know." Everyday doesn't have to be a race to get to the top. We all need to slow down a bit and just be thankful and happy for what we do have. It may be easier said than done.. because right now our world is in a race.

Answer 3

Okay in the untied states we believe in the pursuit of happiness.Which means to have the right to be happy as long as u don't hurt others.

Answer 4

I try to be happy on the path and not just when I reach the goal. Like the Buddha said, there is no way to happiness, happiness is the way. The striving towards material advancement in order to create happiness has helped mankind to advance materially, which is fine, but in and of itself it hasn't generated any more happiness.

Answer 5

well, it seems like all of us are searching for that 'new car' feeling, and that, in part, is what motivates us to keep eaning the mo ey, and craving a better lifestyle. we are born with nothing, and we go with nothing- this saying is worth remembering cause you have to be happy within yourself-otherwise all the other stuff-cars tvs, etc are meaningless. try reading a book on self mastery-it is quite good

Answer 6

Never will true happiness and satisfaction be found outside ourselves,,,,must come from with in.