Why do we appreciate happiness only after it has been gone?

Answer 1

It is just like anything, once we understand ourselves by living we understand our emotions and what makes us happy.

Answer 2

Why do you appreciate water only once your thirsty? Why do you appreciate love only after it's gone? Why do you appreciate safety... It is the same for everything, in order to have a complete understanding of something you much also have something to compare it to. If we were all happy, all the time, there would be no such thing as happiness, because there would be no such thing as sadness. In order to exist, everything requires a negative. Even matter!(see:anti-matter)

Answer 3

I agree with Rhiannon and your question is a generalization.

Not everyone has that opinion. I certainly don't. I find that I appreciate happiness most when I am in the middle of it. When it is gone, I don't appreciate it more or less. I simply try to do the things necessary to make the situation better.

Answer 4

It is a matter of comparisons. When we look back we are in a less happy state, as the years lessen our capacity for excitement. So the further we go back the more happy we were, and not only seemingly to us, but in fact.

Answer 5

Because when "it's" gone - "it" becomes a story of our memories, subject to our own revisions and modifications. Happiness exists much more richly in the playground of our minds. It feels as if we only appreciate it when its gone, in reality, "it" wasnt like you remember it in the first place.

Answer 6

Because as human beings we are basically a people that have 20/20 aftersight and 20/40 foresight and happiness is no different in this regard because the more we have the more we want and happiness is cast aside for wanton gratification that does not satisfied.

Answer 7

i believe happiness can be an inner state to be carried around .
a smile to me is more a sign of happiness than laughter.
we tend to smile at good/nice and beautiful things.
laughter at the wrong time and place can be very hurtful
.all have a nice `smiley ` day

Answer 8

Personally, I am happy simply to be content. I set only achievable goals.
Nevertheless, Happy Christmas!

Answer 9

Because it's only when it has gone that we can distinguish 'happiness' from a normal feeling. it's all relative, see?

Answer 10

Happiness is an illusive state of mind. It is illusive especially when interpreted and sought only materialistically. And even when origins of our happiness are strongly realistic, or highly spiritual, it is difficult to maintain a state of euphoria or elation for long as we would like after the needs of our common habitual of keeping material possession.

Normally we understand things better when they are materialised in our life, we like happiness to be materialise too - I would be happy if I have this or that, but in our actual life where it is not only our achievements that get materialised but also our failures in most worldly sense make part of our life. Therefore, where we feel happiness, we are also bound to feel sadness and sorrow, which as just opposite sides of the same coin tossed into possibilities, the life.

The best form of happiness in my view, however, is the state of mind developed through regular practices and deliberate acts of resolution. We could develop an attitude of general contentment towards most things in life, and then we could also learn to stay attuned in acceptance with gratitude in our heart and nobility and humbleness in the mind; we could learn to sacrifice things of mere physical value upon things of higher emotional, social and spiritual value to enable us to experience happiness of a much refined nature, ultimately to be happiness instead of just trying to feel happiness.

In general pursuit of happiness, however, is quite safe and sensible way to develop in this world; it is as long as we keep to our objective purposes, refining our attitudes along the way and finding better and better means and methods of being happy instead of resorting to moral spiritual chaos and moral bankruptcy. On the other hand, it would be insensible to live in torture and suffering without having any good purpose in view, or without any good reason, for this is also possible in this world where there is injustice and oppression.

I would not give my consent to the fact that we appreciate happiness only when it is gone, as even if it is true than isn’t it also true for all things of at least some value in life - as I can remember missing badly even most trivial things perhaps just because I could not lay my hands on them.

This is however true that we appreciate happiness even more when we are happy, as in the times of our happiness we are likely to concern ourselves immensely with thoughts that lest these happy moments should pass; we never like happy times to pass, we want them to be forever, which is a kind of dilemma of being happy at times.