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Of Course You’re Meant To Be Happy.
Lately, it seems fashionable to suggest that pursuing happiness is a waste of time. Buddhist principles like non-attachment and stoic ideals like equanimity are used to support the claim that wishing for happiness can only lead to suffering and the erosion of our good character.
Instead, we should focus on our responsibilities. We should think about how to be valuable members of society and use our talents to help others. Happiness is simply as a frivolous, self-centred, illusory goal, that is beneath our dignity as responsible, rational human beings.
Don’t get me wrong. Helping others, fulfilling our responsibilities, contributing to society, these are all excellent, worthwhile goals. We should be focusing on them. But they’re worthwhile because they’re ways of pursuing happiness for ourselves whilst at the same time increasing the levels of happiness around us. To interpret Stoic or Buddhist philosophies as a rejection of happiness is to miss the value of the teaching.
Let’s get something straight; happiness is the central goal of all of our lives. Every single thing any of us ever does is done because we believe it will make us happy. Everything from charity work to drug abuse to meditation to killing oneself is motivated by the desire to…
