Postponing Happiness

If I only have one dollar for every time I said to myself or just thought that once I "get" there and achieve "that" I will be happy and everything will be figured it out the way it's "supposed to be". From "that" place, situation or circumstance every piece will fall into its place and I will live on autopilot with that certain happiness achieved that would stay with me forever embracing me like my own skin.

I am not the only one though in this never ending pursuit of happiness and its shallow search. It's like this state of mind, if I can call it this way, is a world wide spread "diseases" eating whatever the present moment offers and diminishing its potential source of happiness for a better, sweeter, but future one.

Even if somehow that, what was supposed to be my great fulfillment hits me, it's just a matter of days or maximum weeks until everything around it fades away prepping the field of minds play for the next one. A better, sweeter and fortunately permanent one. One that will light everything around and give life a better meaning and more incentives to fight for it.

In fact it is the pursuit itself that postpones happiness and engages us in never ending chases making happiness the carrot that never gets eaten by the running bunny. Very few people, wise or not so wise, I've heard throughout my history on Earth saying that if you're not happy right here, right now with what you have and are you will never be and that it's just a illusion that future will ever heal the past and bring a better present.

An example of such person that "accidentally" found happiness gave me a friend of mine yesterday by pointing to a poor man from our town comparing him also with some of the richest around here and their happiness. That guy is riding his bike everyday singing, farting and working at whoever needs help, for a few pennies, and you never see him sad or ill. It's like his living in a bubble and his not mental ill or anything. On the other hand the richest in his example are always stressed, grumpy and on a continuous chase after future money that will for sure offer them a stable happiness forgetting to really enjoy what they already have and are.

This friend of mine, who is no wise man or a scholar, explained to me also that the poor one is not after chasing the money in hope of making him happy, but instead he is satisfied with what he has and enjoys every moment as it is while doing the best he can at whatever the situation asks. He's really enjoying life, despite his poor social condition while other Mercedes and big houses owners are almost always on the run pursuing something new and promising and never fully enjoying what they already have.

Now, by no means I am advocating poverty and making it the ultimate condition of happiness, but being happy with what we already are and have while working our way towards future life situations seems the perfect balance and why not a key to happiness. If what we have and are does not make me or you happy right here, right now, I don't think any future achievement will ever be. Hence I can say also that I intuitively understood the saying that happiness is a state of mind.

Thanks for your attention,
Ace