Reading the above posts reminded me of an old, jokey saying that only children and the handicapped are happy. They are innocent, free from worry and are probably not too concerned about self development and the pursuit of happiness (as they are already happy!). It's an interesting topic and there are many nuances and personal definitions about what happiness or joy or contentment is. A lot of it is transitory - we may feel happy after a meal or meeting someone, but it doesn't last long. A lot of people are happy when denying themselves and serving the ones they love, foregoing personal comfort in the hope of achieving something better in the afterlife - union with God, for example. So, in that sense, there can also be happiness in the pursuit of happiness!
Sometimes we don't realize we were happy at a particular time, until that time has passed and we find ourselves in some sad, lonely situation. We think back and think how happy we were without realizing it. Does that mean we need the duality of experience, the positive and negative, in order to experience happiness?
Are children aware at the time that they are happy? I think often they are. I can clearly remember my own children at very young ages jumping up and down, shrieking 'Happy, happy, happy!'.
I have seen many ordinary, simple people, especially those who live in the countryside, who are naturally happy, without having any particular belief system, religious or otherwise, or any particular need for self improvement.
In fact, it is often the ones who have a compulsion for self improvement who are the most unhappy, as they are never satisfied with what they have.
If I was asked what true happiness was, I would say it was a sense of deep, inner peace and acceptance of self and others.
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