It's funny. In our world today, all kinds of things and issues are being discussed. In the public, world arena we have the economy, various political events, happenings with celebrities and famous figures, and in the area of our personal lives, issues such as health, financial concerns, personal issues with members of the household, and school and job issues also dominate our conversations with people, online and off. Even things such as self esteem, religion, personal image, and love lives are often ruminated on by various message boards and our own personal circle of friends. But one thing I don't really hear being discussed too often nowadays online and off is the issue of personal happiness.

Even in conversations where the subject is on ourselves as people, the issue of our own happiness isn't really brought up too often. Recently I've mused about how happy a lot of my friends believe they are, because it seems that people as a whole (and I'm referring to people our age, specifically) just coast through life day to day with no real thought of how happy they are. If we give it any thought ourselves, we usually think "Oh, I'm doing alright", and just leave it at that. But recently I've been thinking of how happy I really am with my life. As in, my current circumstances, my health, where I'm going, how I feel day to day, how close I am to my goals, and how I interact and get along with people in my life.

To answer the question myself, sometimes its hard to really define it, but everything considered, I'd like to think I'm pretty happy. I'm in college (a far cry from what people in my former social situation usually end up doing), I'm gifted with a supporting household, even if we're short a few of the usual family members. I'm financially secure to a relative extent, and I get along with pretty much everyone and I have a nice set of reliable friends. Most importantly I have my health, and I'm blessed to not suffer from any illnesses or any other debilitating issues. Of course I have my issues in life as well, but I try my best to deal with them. So, while some days are better than others and some days can be pure drudgery, I think I can say that I'm happy.

So, what about you. Really think about it. Can you say that you're happy? Also, I don't want to sound presumptuous, but try to keep the joke posts to a minimum. This may seem like an odd topic, but I really would like to generate some discussion on this.

yesw

No, I am not happy at all really. Well, I can't say "at all" because I am not some sort of solemn robotic meatbag that just walks around in a constant state of dissatisfaction, but I am pretty unhappy in general. I just ordered a book called The Geography of Bliss (it was featured on Colbert) and it looks pretty good. It's about the happiest places on Earth. Anyways, Happiness is of interest to me (and everyone I would guess) because it plays a role as a central, if not the central, human drive. Thus almost any comprehensive philosophy you construct must touch upon human happiness.

I am pretty happy now. All things considered, I am probably the luckiest unlucky guy in the world. Been through some bad stuff, but almost always it has turned out positively. I've got a steady job (paid for snow days, fuck yeah!) A fiancee and a kid on the way, own property, and at this point in time, have free time to do what I want when I want (luckily my goals are all small).

FEELIN' FINE basically.

I have a really hot girlfriend who really loves me. I have a pretty steady source of income and I'm still in college, Hells yea i'm happy.

what is this

the happy braggarts club

the internet is for melancholy and below

im incredibly unhappy w00t.

im always happy

yeah I made a journal entry about this when last year ended.

Basically I'm happy because:
+Last semester I did pretty good at my exams, got my highest marks yet, despite I haven't studied as well as I'd like to.

+Live in a new and much much better house, where i have more privacy and a swimming pool which I'm taking much advantage of.

+Musically, I have been very prolific, released 5 albums last year and already released a new one yesterday to start this year (you can find it in the MUSIC CREATION forum). I am as well learning saxo which is cool although the breathing science is quite complicated for me as for now.

+I have a much better body now, I used to be quite a thinny guy, but now I have a much better shape, am a bit thicker (still don't hardly have any fat as it all becomes muscular mass). Right now, I'm not pale as I've been by the sun a lot lately. T-shirts fit in much nicely now. Feel much healthier, haven't been sick in quite a while and hardly ever blow my nose (which was something I frequently had to do before)

+I am having a will to learn more stuff. In addition to saxo, I'm wanting to learn more cooking, that's cool. I also made new paintings which I'm proud of.

+Socially, I'm fine. I don't hang around with people that much, but there's someone I'm interested in and it is going fine I think

+I changed my job, get the same pay (25% scholarship) and have to work half the hours. The trick is that I have to work on saturday but that doesn't bother me. So more free time and a better work/study/leisure distribution for this year.

+Basically am excited with this new semester. A friend I like is moving closer, and the subjects I'm getting this year are much cooler, and I'm just getting this whole feeling that 2008 is going to be a really great year and I'm going to mature a lot.


/brag

I will never be happy until the global corporate machine falls.

This is a fact.

despite having pretty much nothin goin for me im pretty happy.

There's not a single thing we can hold onto. 

yes there is, our creations.
Think Da Vinci or John Lennon or a table done by your carpinter friend given to you as a gift.


also Godot, you depict a very boring life.
A life of continuous happiness is a bland one.
That's the cool thing about happiness, it comes from time to time, not always as you try to promote. Like climaxes, like an orgasm. What's the cool thing about an orgasm if we were to be feeling it all the time? We gain tolerance, and then it becomes shitty.
A life of continuous peace is also a bland one, but I'd try to hold on to innerstate peace. To deal conflict with a peaceful state of mind, that's a good way to find yourself at ease, but we definitively want conflicts, or at least challenges.
A life of conflicts, now that's quite an interesting life!

also Godot, you depict a very boring life.
A life of continuous happiness is a bland one.

I see logical problems here because happiness is usually exclusive with boredom, therefore if one does have a continually happy life one cannot be bored, and if you are bored your life has not been continually happy. This makes the statement "A life of continuous happiness is a bland one" pretty meaningless.

But, if you're going to still argue that it would be boring, then you seem to be suggesting that unhappiness is sometimes preferable, which I'm not sure it is because it is happiness which we are striving for. And if unhappiness is preferable in any case, and that preference is fulfilled, don't aren't we then happy? I mean, it just doesn't make sense.

the problem here is that you think "bland" and "boring" are synonymous. They aren't


edit: also you pretty much didn't get my post. It isn't that unhappiness is sometimes preferable, not at all, what definitively is preferable is a life that has its ups and its down, don't force it to continuously be in its ups and never come down. I'm pretty a happy dude, but I get my low moments, and I think it is a healthy procedure. I think that if I stay 100% rocking on all the time, I'll end up insane.
There are no logical contradictions here.

the problem here is that you think "bland" and "boring" are synonymous. They aren't

Oh, ok, dictionaries must be wrong.

I even checked on dictionary.com before posting that, and I hold on to my statement