HAPPINESS ONLINE JOURNAL

What is the key to happiness?

Love? Money? Success? Or can it be all three?

Happy, a documentary created by Roko Belic, aims to discover just that. In his documentary, Belic travels to twelve different countries not only to find out what happiness really is, but what it means to others around the world. From a cultural perspective, Belic discovered that a person's idea of happiness differed greatly depending on where they were from and how they viewed both abstract ideas of happiness and/or the possession of material things.

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This documentary made me think about how I view my own happiness. I'd like to believe that I do not find happiness in material things, but I come from a culture where having the latest clothes or technology separates you from the person next to you.

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Why do we as Americans recieve so much of our happiness from things that could disappear in two seconds? Personally, I think it is because we are culturally conditioned to believe we need these things to survive. 

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Over the course of this semester, I have aimed to discover where I receive my own happiness from and why. I realized that a large portion of my emotional wellbeing comes from family, friends, theatre, and my relationship with God. Now, you have probably noticed that of everything I listed, none of them are physical objects. This is not by accident. Each of the abstract ideas and subjects on my happiness list are the most important to me because each could easily replace any of the material things I own.

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I like to think about my happiness in comparison to food. Material things are like the most sugary of sweets. They look and taste great, but they are unable do much for my health and wellbeing once my sugar high disappears. I can only be fed by material things for short periods of time before I become hungry for even more than what I started with.

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More abstract ideas (Home, Friendship, Love, Family, or Travel) are like foods rich in nutrients. They may not taste as great as the sweets, but they exist to feed your soul more than your appetite. Other ideas such as your job, goals, life experiences, or passions can also fit into this category.

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Happy taught me that everyone has their own definition of happiness and how they go about receiving it. Whether that means spending time with loved ones or following a passion, happiness can be birthed from anything and everything. It doesn't matter where you come from or what you own--happiness is a unique, universal phenomenon that every human has the opportunity to feel and discover. So go out into the world and find at least one thing that gives you joy. And once you find it, never let it go.