This is a question that has been debated by philosophers for centuries, and it still remains a mystery to us today. Some people believe that happiness is something that we can only experience in fleeting moments, while others believe that it is something that we can achieve if we strive for it.
Happiness is often thought of as something that we all strive for and that, once we achieve it, we will be content for the rest of our lives. However, this idea of happiness as an endpoint is actually a fallacy. Happiness is not something that we can achieve and then maintain forever. Instead, happiness is something we need to work on every day.
It is often thought of as an ideal state, something that is always waiting for us after we achieve it.
But is this really the case?
A renowned philosopher once said, “Happiness is the fulfillment of a purpose,” and this purpose, is found in our relationships with others.
There are a few schools of thought on this topic.
Happiness is often associated with positive emotions, and positive emotions are usually short-lived. For example, we may feel happy when we get a new job, but this feeling will eventually fade as we become used to the new job.
The problem with thinking of happiness as an endpoint is that it sets us up for disappointment. We may start to believe that we will never be truly happy unless we have the perfect job, the perfect partner, the perfect house, etc.
So, if happiness is not an endpoint, what is it?
However, the reality is that none of these things are guaranteed to make us happy. In fact, research has shown that once we achieve certain goals, we quickly adapt, and our happiness levels return to where they were before we achieved the goal. This is known as the hedonic treadmill.
Another school of thought is that happiness is something we can achieve if we strive for it. It’s a state of mind that we can choose to cultivate every day. It is not something that we can achieve and then maintain forever, but it is something that we can work on every day.
This is because happiness is often associated with positive actions, and if we take positive actions, we will eventually achieve happiness. For example, we may feel happy when we help someone in need, but this feeling will eventually fade as we become used to helping others.
So, which school of thought is correct?
While it’s true that happiness is achievable, it’s also important to remember that it’s not always permanent. Happiness may be an ideal state, but it’s important to remember that it’s not always possible to achieve it. And that’s because happiness is ultimately based on our relationships with other people. If those relationships are bad or if we lose them, then we’ll likely be unhappy. So, while it’s always worth striving for happiness, it’s also important to be realistic about how attainable it really is.
Is “Happiness ever after” a fallacy?
The truth is, it is difficult to say for sure, as happiness is a very subjective experience.
Attribution
There is No Happily Ever After - The School Of Life. (n.d.). The School of Life. Retrieved December 10, 2022
T. S. (2020, May 13). The School of Life presents: Forget finding happiness, instead find peace with anxiety | CNN. CNN. Retrieved December 10, 2022
Gangloff, M. (2022, January 3). Why Success Can Make You Depressed. Medium. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
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