...can it be a reality for the average joe?
The search for happiness is on the forefront of every person's mind at at least one time in their lives, if not more. For some, it's a daily search and for others it's only occasionally or rarely on their minds. For others however, they've given up on that quest for happiness.
Webster's dictionary describes happiness as this:
hap⋅pi⋅ness
/ˈhæpinɪs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [hap-ee-nis] Show IPA
–noun
1. the quality or state of being happy.
2. good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.
Origin:
1520–30; happy + -ness
Synonyms:
1, 2. pleasure, joy, exhilaration, bliss, contentedness, delight, enjoyment, satisfaction. Happiness, bliss, contentment, felicity imply an active or passive state of pleasure or pleasurable satisfaction. Happiness results from the possession or attainment of what one considers good: the happiness of visiting one's family. Bliss is unalloyed happiness or supreme delight: the bliss of perfect companionship. Contentment is a peaceful kind of happiness in which one rests without desires, even though every wish may not have been gratified: contentment in one's surroundings. Felicity is a formal word for happiness of an especially fortunate or intense kind: to wish a young couple felicity in life.
It's human nature to want what's good and enjoyable. It's also human nature to yearn to be content in this life. There are many, many answers which a person could give when asked "what makes you happy?" or "what would make you happy?."
Those answers would include material possessions like a house, car, or the newest toy on the market. Other things such as money, a girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, or children would be on there as well.
We all think "If I only had ____, then I would be happy, satisfied, and content."
The sad thing is that it doesn't work that way and the majority of people will never realize this on their own.
The newest toy will be bought, the house will be paid for, or the top of the line vehicle will be in their driveway and still.... they will not be happy deep down. They may say that they are, but it's all superficial happiness. It's not a lasting contentment. There will always be something more that can be attained. Always.
Maybe the search for happiness is a facade for the fact that we have this inner emptiness that needs to be filled with something whole and good.
In our human thinking, we continue to think of "if I only had ____" as I mentioned earlier.
Since the beginning of time, mankind has been searching for something to fill this inner void. Even David had something to say about his own search to be filled in soul and spirt.
Here's what David said:
Psalm 63:1-5
1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
David acknowledged his inner yearning to be filled with something or Someone. He sought out God to fill that void in his soul.
"My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.."
I believe deep down that what David wrote here applies to every person on earth. We all yearn for something more to fill us and to make us whole. We want to be happy, content, and to have something to live for.
There are those who are dying inside because they have not found what will truly fill that void and provide the contentment and happiness they long for. Many have given up and are just settling for the disappointment and unhappiness that this life has handed to them. They go into what I call 'survival mode.' This is where the person just tries to cope and survive from day to day without really knowing what it is to LIVE. They already feel like they died inwardly, so it's just a matter of time and circumstance before their empty shell of a body follows suit.
Imagine what kind of world this would be if everyone found the contentment and happiness that David speaks of. Millions of people would be able to really live this life and not just survive it. Greed would no longer be an issue as the quest for the new toy, house, or car would be more of a necessity than a want. People suffering from things such as depression and other mental illnesses would be free of what's bogging them down inside.
So can the average Joe find happiness?
I believe it's possible.
The circumstances of it may be different for everyone, or the length of time involved in the journey, but yes, the average joe can be filled with a happiness that will last. We just need to look in the right place for it.
It's an ongoing journey that will take a lifetime to complete. I am still on that journey.
What part of the journey are you on?
Are you content in your soul or is it yearning to be filled?
Are you craving to be able to say to people, when asked "are you happy?", that 'yes, you truly are?'
Are you happy?
