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[jjmoohead]

happiness is....

being able to see all my friends that I have not seen in 3 months. Getting to hug all my girl friends (friends that are girls, not girlfriends) Just 2 more days!

[Macceh^]

"The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails.
You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you
may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins,
you may miss your only love, you may see the world about
you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled
in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then
-- to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is
the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never
alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never
dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look
what a lot of things there are to learn."

The best solution really

[Lost_myth]

I also think happiness is when I just look at the world, look at the moon on a cloudy night or see trees swaying in a sweet blue sky. Or when I see a willow tree and I know I'm happy. I think happiness is everywhere you just got to find your smile.

[Frozen]

Fortune, I think I understand perfectly your point about Joy and Happiness. You said that joy is more likely to be instantaneous, and happiness is a state of mind..... I more or less think the same thing. However, joy and happiness are conected, I believe. Joy usually leads to happiness, or at least helps to reach it. The thing is, that happiness as a whole state of mind is something impossible to achieve. I don't think ANYONE can ever say "I'm always happy" because that would be BS I think I have joy everyday. Specially when I play a nice video game, watch a nice movie, or just laugh from something stupid (I'm one of those who get easily amused)

The thing is, that even if have so many daily joys.... I am a very unhappy person. And why I say that happiness is also instantaneous, or maybe, not instantaneous, but I'd better describe it as a temporary state of mind.... is because I remeber that I was happy once. When I was an infant. How I saw the world, and how invincible I was back then. In some way or the other I would achieve what I'd want... (if you have put attention to all my boring argument you'll understand that I'm just talking of how big my imagination was, and so I was somehow inmersed in my own wonderful world of fantasies)

I was not aware of the world, as I am now. I wasn't aware of the evil of people around me. I was not conscious of many things......

And now, my life is empty. I don't understand exactly myself why..... but I'm almost sure it's done mainly because of my constant solitude........ and my heart is becoming empty as well.

Dammit, I really went away from the topic. Anyways, choosing to be happy is not that easy..... you can work out for your happiness.... but it's not only on your hands the power to achive it.... horror is always waiting at the corner, and it never brings happiness with it.

I'll shut up now because probably no one knows what the hell I'm talking about now Now I got confused myself.

[RichHo]

Thats true by definition really isnt it?

Joyousness is the next level up from happiness, and if you are at the top constantly, ie. in the state of joyousness, then happiness will become sadness.....in theory.

So therefore joyousness is a short-lived, but elevated version of happiness. Joyousness is also a physical form of happiness, if you are joyful you physically express the emotions that you are feeling.

Whereas happiness is more of a spiritual feeling, that everything is in place and you have no problems to deal with, like you said Frozen and Fortune; happiness is a state of mind.

[Lost_myth]

Originally posted by RichHo

Whereas happiness is more of a spiritual feeling, that everything is in place and you have no problems to deal with, like you said Frozen and Fortune; happiness is a state of mind.

I agree that happiness is more of a spiritual feeling and that it is a state of mind.
I disagree that statement 'everything is in place and you have no problems to deal with.

I believe I am happy, of course you get sad. You can still in general be happy most of time even though everything is in place or even though you have problems.

This is just my understanding.

[Frozen]

The fact is that it is absolutely impossible to be in such a state where you have absolutely nothing to worry about, absolutely no problems, everything is good around you, everyone loves you, all your dreams have become reality.........

That's impossible. That is why I think that happiness itself is just a temporary state of mind..... or maybe Blue3evilx is right, you can be "happy" in general but then have moments of sorrow and moments of joy...... but that's when you have already achieved certain goals and acquired certain knowledge to be able totake it that way. I guess I have not reached yet such stage in my life. Sooner or later I will, I guess.

But I think that evryone would be happy when we, all the living beings on this Earth become friends..... but that is kind of impossible, so....