Pleasure+vs.+Happiness

=__**Pleasure and Happiness: One and the Same? I think not. **__=

In order to define what happiness is, it's necessary to make certain distinctions as to what it is //not.// People often confuse happiness with pleasure, a mistake with detrimental consequences. Take Thomas for example, a patient of author Margaret Paul, Ph.D. He led the picture perfect life most only dream about complete with a beautiful home and family, but he wasn't happy. Occasionally, he would feel "happy" while out with friends, but the feeling was fleeting. Thomas went to Paul with this concern, along with complaints of chronic stomach pain. Paul was able to discover the source of this pain; because Thomas was controlling by nature, he literally made himself sick with stress. After working with Paul, Thomas realized that choosing to be caring and compassionate instead of harsh and judgemental was the cure for his stomach aches. //Compassion and love // aare the ultimate sources of lifelong happiness, not superficial successes. Sex, food, and a good movie only last so long--these kinds of sensual pleasures do not contribute to enduring contentment.  1

One thing needs to be made clear: pleasure isn't evil or immoral, it simply isn't lasting. We avoid whatever causes us discomfort and flock to whatever elicits a positive emotion, therefore promoting our "optimal survival." When people confuse pleasure with happiness, just like Thomas did, they end up feeling empty and alone because pleasure does not provide the deeply personal rewards happiness does. There's no way to universally define what happiness is; it's fully dependent on an individual's values and how they identify with themselves (spiritually, physically, mentally).  2

It stands to reason that people are happiest when they are doing something they enjoy, but contrary to popular belief, it's not the actual //doing// that makes the person happy, it's their loss of ego in the total immersion in the activity. "In the absence of mind or ego, the natural happiness of the Self is able to shine through. Momentarily, there is no duality, no enjoyer and enjoyed, subject and object, simply enjoyment of one’s own Self." As soon as we say "this makes me happy", we identify something other than our natural "flow" as the source of our happiness. "This is then stored in memory, reinforcing our false belief that happiness results from all of this ‘doing’ etc. and then, inevitably, we feel that we have to seek to repeat the activity or search for something new in order to ‘bring back’ the sense of joy."

What it comes down to is really a perception issue. People believe happiness is something that happens when it's really a mindset and a state of being.  3

//Sources// 1. [] 2. [] 3. []