“When I was 5 years old my Mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down happy. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
– John Lennon
Today, I came across a question, much common to every other single human being living on this Earth who cares enough to ponder deeply into their mind, much like a burrowing abyss, and I thought about the simple, yet so complex definition, meaning, influence, essence and just the feel of happiness. When I look at my own life, I wonder has every experience, situation, person and growing pain I have been through in my 22 years of life shaped me to define my own perception of happiness? Or is it the numerous amounts of times I sat shifting through “happy quotes” on Pinterest hopelessly longing for one pictured quote to just smack me in the face, reassuring me that somewhere out there another person shares the same exact feelings, emotions and outlook on happiness as I do?
Give that up. The sooner the better. Because what makes this phenomenon so unique, is that it is defined by each person’s own free will. It is not defined by what other philosophers have noted about it; it is not defined by your Grandma Tessy or Doug the dog. It may be influenced by these people and factors, but ultimately you are blessed with the gift to own your own plethora of compilations to what happiness is to you.
Happiness, in my eyes, is a complete state of being. It is a blanket that you are engulfed in, that submerges its threads into every vein of your body and completely transforms your mind, your soul, your heart and your body. You find yourself taking situations and experiences of pure darkness, and forcing yourself to seek the light that is buried underneath deep stones of adversity, depression and anxiety. You find yourself speaking out from the depths of your soul and your heart, you feel instinctively to put others needs above your own, you express your honest feelings towards each and every person you come across, you invest time into relationships, friendships and things you are utmost passionate about.
You don’t find the need or want to judge, to belittle others or to associate with types of negativity and angst. You long to extend outward these same ways of living to others, to share this blanket that has so innocently kept you from harm and kept you from transforming into different pathological states of being.
Happiness, with such beauty, is something not all can obtain easily. It can happen around you; it can be sitting right next to you at this very moment, it is such a wondrous gift, but you must remain ready and present an open mind to receive it. You must not blind yourself from it and hide from it. Negativity, pessimism, temptation, evil and judgment will act as stonewalls in your attempt of progression to have happiness.
Deason is a junior journalism major. She also plays on the PLNU women’s soccer team.
