. “What is Happiness?” To define happiness, and live happy lives, we also need to understand “What is Unhappiness?” We will compare and contrast these two contradictory imperatives throughout this handbook. 31. Happiness is a state of contentment with one’s personal life, generally expressed as spiritual, moral, social, intellectual and physical well-being.
32. Happiness is much more valuable to human existence than we may have contemplated thus far. When we are happy, every part of our being is in harmony.
33. Happiness is not merely a temporary human condition underpinned by feelings and emotions, receipt of gifts or life's events such as university graduation, birthdays, weddings or anniversaries.
34. Happiness is not “mutually exclusive” or just personal.
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Sadly, we cannot theoretically store the happiness of one day, and then recover it another day when we are in a state of gloom.
Happiness means that today is more hopeful than yesterday, and tomorrow is more hopeful than today. Happy experiences are stored in the labyrinth of our mind, no different from the memory of a great poem we read as a child or a song or scenery that comes to mind ― vividly.
42. It is a cliché though, to say, “no one can make us happy”, or that
“we alone can make ourselves happy.” Happiness is not merely
about the personal desire to be happy, but also about how we contribute to the happy or unhappy state of others and vice versa.
43. The loss of investment, or employment, or material possessions may cause a person to be unhappy though the unhappiness might be temporary. Some may have the financial means to overcome these circumstances. Others may seek solace from God for their loss and the resultant suffering, thus maintaining a tranquil state.
44. Tranquility and happiness are co-equals because tranquility can lead to happiness, and happiness can result in tranquility. Tranquility also leads to contemplation on another age-old question, “what makes us