A considerable number of people spend their
lives chasing happiness, as if they lived in paradise; they keep thinking
they have a gratuitous right to happiness and their aim is to be as happy
as possible.
But in reality, we are on Earth, where, as
it is stated in the dictionary, happiness is the satisfaction experienced
by an individual when he fulfils what he intended or wished. And, if the
satisfaction of intentions is often easy, the fulfilment of aspirations
is usually difficult, and requires an effort by the person himself.
Therefore we can have different levels of
happiness. The first level is basically related to instinctive activity
and the habits acquired around this. Some authors prefer the word pleasure
to name the satisfaction we get during a banquet or sexual intercourse.
Some people ignore the existence of other levels of happiness, so frequently
they choose these kinds of situations, because this pleasure disappears
quickly.
On the other hand, there are people who value
relationships, so they involve themselves in emotions and passions, increasingly
valuing feelings like friendship and solidarity. The happiness they experience
is naturally stronger and longer-lasting, although it is interrupted by
moments of pain, specially due to the misuse of free-will.
Some people also value intellectual life,
think about the events and try to find intelligent solutions. And the more
they do it, the more they discover new levels of happiness, through the
formulation of increasingly noble aspirations.
Finally, there is a group that tries to value
the life of instinct, relation and intellect appropriately, seeking for
a harmonious control of the two first over the last one; their aim is self-improvement.
These are the people who are able to feel good about themselves, preserving
a tranquil mind because they have accomplished their duty. And if they
feel good about themselves, they feel good about Nature as well, creating,
this way, conditions to the fluency of the appropriate conditions in the
right moment.
This last group differs from the others because
of the calm way they face the events of life. If the others love their
"ego", or some beings round them above all things, they learn to love the
whole. In fact, the life they value is spiritual life.
Tranquillity, self-reliance, balance in words
and actions, manners, generosity, respect towards human dignity, educative
discipline, moderation, discretion, honesty, cordiality with others,
practise of good-humour, permanent constructive orientation of thought,
are all qualities that guarantee the highest levels of happiness.
Those who have these qualities can find constant
happiness, becoming beings who fear nothing and no one. They are always
calm, even when they face physical death. They are happy because they exist
in spiritual Love.