Happiness is always considered important to human beings. But why is it so difficult to define happiness and why are definitions of happiness so different among people? What are the main factors in achieving happiness? Give some examples and relevant evidence.
Although the pursuit of happiness is a never-ending human endeavor throughout history, it is so elusive and multi-faced that people always do not see eye to eye to each other when defining the true meaning of happiness. Though its definition varies, happiness can be available from two broad ways, material satisfaction and spiritual contentment.
On the one hand, people think they can find perpetual happiness by gaining. Their lives are a continual course in pursuit of materials, such as fame, fortune, authority, or social status. After rushing through their whole life to everything that proves profitable and lucrative, only a few attain their goals yet being plagued with superficial satisfaction with material.
On the other hand, there are also people who know that happiness comes from giving rather than gaining. By devoting all to the ideal of relieving the poor and the disabled, and contributing everything to the society, they feel and inner bliss when giving a helping hand. Mother Teresa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying for 45 years with her team. Laborious as it is, those people are determined to struggle against whatever lies ahead, because they feel fulfilled and gratified after a benevolent behavior. It is this charity and generosity that make our lives worth living, meaningful and happy.
To sum up, only through dedication, rather than acquisition, can people actually find themselves immersed in a spiritual satisfaction, the true happiness. Thus happiness lies not in anything we can possess, but in everything we are giving. In my opinion, only by the spirit of philanthropy can we approach happiness.
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