Temporary Happiness and Lasting Happiness

 

Everyone seeks happiness. 

However, there are different kinds of happiness that people pursue, some are temporary and fade away quickly, while others make us happy for a long time.  

Seeking things that make us happy, joyful, or pleasurable is also a kind of happiness, I think, but it is soon lost and may turn into unhappiness. 

For example, buying things we want, traveling, spending time on alcohol, gambling, or games, etc.  

These things temporarily lift our spirits and make us happy, but they are fleeting happiness that soon disappears and easily turns into unhappiness. 

Then, what is the long-lasting happiness in life?  

It is to find meaning and value in your own life, and to live in a way that you do something fulfilling. 

Such a way of living gives us deep joy and fulfillment over a long span of life.  

Then, what kind of life is a meaningful and fulfilling one? 

Work and volunteer activities are greatly involved in it.  

Artists and such may feel the meaning of life by creating works that satisfy themselves, but for most people, finding deep meaning and fulfillment in life comes from their work being useful and appreciated by others.  

By doing work that benefits others, you can feel your mission and find fulfillment in your life. This will lead to lasting happiness. 

To achieve that, you cannot just seek pleasure all the time. 

Sometimes, you have to work hard and put in effort to learn and acquire skills, and there will also be times when you have to refrain from having fun. 

However, such experiences of challenges can be useful later on. 

To achieve long-lasting happiness, you also need to restrain yourself from immediate pleasures and work hard for the future.  

However, you should keep in mind that even if you work hard and get into a good university or obtain an advantageous qualification, that is only getting the tools in your hands. 

What matters is how much you can use those tools to help others. 

The more you live a life that wishes for the happiness of others, the higher your life satisfaction will be. 

Translated by Kyoko.u