HAPPINESS
A Mirage
SOMEONE once said: “For the majority, happiness does not exist in the present but seems to be distantly encapsulated in an idealized future.” This statement expresses only half of the truth as it pertains not to the majority but to every human being. Another aspect of this matter is that everyone feels that they have failed to find the happiness they desired, even after enjoying a long lifespan. This is a universal phenomenon. But why is it so unachievable? Why is happiness a matter of the distant future and unattainable in the present? Why is it a matter of tomorrow and not of today?
The fact is that human beings are ideal-seeking creatures, and learn by experience that this world is imperfect: everything is there for the taking but can be had only in a form which is less than ideal. Man by nature is a perfectionist, born in an imperfect world. It is this contradiction that creates problems.
Thinkers try to explain this contradiction. Some say man ought to find joy in small things. But this is an unnatural solution, because man seeks perfection. Imperfection will certainly fail to bring him happiness. Should anyone claim to have found happiness in small things, he is perhaps making a statement without any substance. Evidently he is uttering words that do not come from the heart. He is making a statement the veracity of which his own nature questions.
Man by nature is a perfectionist, born in an imperfect world. It is this contradiction that creates problems.
The only answer is that man must discover the creation plan of the Creator. He must discover the scheme of things as ordained by God. This will lead him to the discovery of Paradise. Acceptance of the concept of Paradise will give him the satisfaction and assurance that eternal and complete happiness awaits him in the world Hereafter.
