Can the pursuit of happiness lead one to sorrow?

This is one of those things that has haunted my very existence for a while now. "The path to happiness", "The way to LIVE life" are just some of the MANY (by now) cliched one liners that we see around ourselves these days.

Perhaps the gyaan that I unwittingly am about to profess here is that, Happiness is something to be accepted, as something that comes to you as and when you "do something good" etal. We shouldn't live in a state of constant "I'll be happy as soon as I complete that thing/accomplish this task/etal". True, our goals MUST play a role in our joy and gratification, that is the very core of human progress, BUT one must not forget that life is to be lived, and its best lived when happy.
What that effectively means is that, the happier we are (sometimes consciously even), the better we can work, and the better it is for all of mankind.

Rather than chasing a dream of the perfect life, of a state of happiness, I feel its MUCH better to acknowledge the countless gifts strewn on our life's path, derive a certain degree of happiness from them, and them propel oneself forward to improve on on the self and the rest of the world thereafter.


Of course one must keep ones eyes open on the look out for complacency, that can wait, hiding in the shadows, for its chance to usher in the decay of our active and alive self. A few reality checks now and then should suffice in my view.

So in effect, my message would be, to BE happy, and then work towards a better tomorrow, rather than the other way around.


PS: More on this absolutely fascinating topic as and when I learn more about the intricacies of being ALIVE, and being happy.

PPS: This post has no connection with the truly beautiful movie that is "The Pursuit of Happyness".
The toil and effort on the part of Will Smith in that story was a necessity considering his responsibilities as a father etal. Moreover, his love for his son kept him going at his lowest moments, and even before he landed the job, he didn't lead an "inwardly unhappy" life. Yes, regret and discontentment might have been there, but at the end of the day, he wasn't a SAD man. (That was perhaps one of the reasons he was intent on keeping his son with him, his source of constant love, hope and HAPPYNESS.)