Happiness?

“It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?”

If you have seen the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness”, then you may be familiar with the above quote.

This quote really struck me, because for years now, I have been pondering “happiness”. It seems that the older I get the harder life seems to be, and I don’t think that is the way it is supposed to be. Is it possible to truly be happy in our society and culture now days?

Watch the following video from the end of the movie, and note Chris Gardner’s reaction.

(Note: Do not watch this or read the rest of this blog if you haven’t seen the movie and you don’t want to know what the ending is…although I’ve watched the movie three times, and it still strikes a chord in me every time.)



I've watched this video more times than I can count, and I truly cannot stop smiling every time I watch it. Did you notice how emotional Chris Gardner was when he was told that he got the job? I watch his eyes every single time...the fighting back of the tears, tells it all. I can only imagine the depth of emotion he was feeling at the particular moment. I also love it when he leaves the office and is walking in the crowd of people...it is impossible for him to contain himself. When is the last time I've accomplished something that has meant that much to me? It's been a long time.

I expressed to a friend of mine my pondering of the above quote and the ending of the movie and received a very wise response.

The response was:

“Keri, do you think that anyone who received that job would have been happy as Chris Gardner?”
“No.”
“Why not”
“Because they didn’t work as hard and it’ didn’t mean as much to them.”
“Exactly. It wasn’t the end result that made Chris Gardner happy. It was the journey that got him there that made him appreciate the end result much more than the average person and this is what brought him happiness.”

If you haven’t seen the movie, it is difficult to understand what Chris Gardner went through to receive the end result. The man went through hell and he kept fighting when the majority of us would have given up.

Happiness? What exactly is it?

Is Thomas Jefferson correct when he said the “pursuit of happiness” and not just “happiness”? Is it the actual pursuit that makes us happy? When things are just handed to us (whether it’s a position, money, lifestyle, material things, relationships) do we truly get to enjoy the happiness that comes with it?

Hard work, determination, persistence, more hard work, optimism, will power, and even more hard work…is that the key to happiness?

Edwin Markham, an American poet (1852-1940), puts it this way:

Happiness is a thing of here and now;
The bright leaf in the hand, the moment’s sun,
The fight accomplished or the summit won.

Note the first line "Happiness is a thing of here and now." Do we miss the "happiness" because we are so focused on the end result?

I like how Markham includes simple things in life in his definition of happiness. I also like Storm Jameson’s, an English writer (1891-1986), interpretation as well.

“It is an illusion to think that more comfort brings more happiness. True happiness comes of the capacity to think freely, to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to risk life, to be needed.”

Is true happiness summed up as easily as this?

"Happiness" isn't found in the end result..."Happiness" is found in the journey to accomplish the end result and the harder the journey...the more difficult it was to accomplish...may determine the amount of "Happiness" that is found.

What determines "Happiness" for you?