Is happiness an illusion ?

Is happiness real or is it just an illusion ? Some may say it's real and life is all about happiness. You may say it is not real and therefre there is no point of pursuing it. A movie released in 2006, "The Pursuit of Happyness" (exact title, not a mispelling), directed by Gabrielle Muccino and Will Smith who played the role of a struggling salesman. The salesman took a custody of his son as he poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor. It's based on a true story, probably most of us have nothing to relate to especially the level of the drama.

What if happiness is just an illusion. No matter how hard and how long you pursue it, it's just endless and unreachable. You dream about getting a big and expensive house or a new car. The first day is a huge excitement and before you know it the excitement evaporates. We love happy ending movies, especially with "happily ever after". We love good surprises, they give a sense of rejuvenation, an instant happiness booster. The closest definition I could relate happiness to is "instant gratification", at least for the modern era of "happiness".

When I searched the Bible, only a few verses came out, they were all in the Old Testament. Jesus didn't teach about happiness either. Instead of short term gratification, He wants us to pursue eternal purposes.

As long as we live in this world, everything comes with a price. The price you pay with our perceived happiness is measured by our ability to accept when we lose a level of happiness. Are you confused enough ? Here is an example. Often times my children were in their worst behaviors right after they came back from a fun place such as a party, play area, or other activities. We all went through that growing up and learned to anticipate many ups and downs in our lives. There is another word for it, "content". Are you content with what you have and losing what you have ?

To be continued.