When was the last time you were really happy?

Probably when I was about 5 or 6. It's not that would call myself unhappy now, but that was probably the last time when I was consistently satisfied. Ever since then, there have been sources of stress that I knew would crop up periodically, so I haven't been in a purely happy state of mind for more than a day at a time.

 

Looking back, when I thought I was the happiest I realize it was then that I was most illusioned. That's not to say I have always thought life was sad, or that I even think it is sad now.

It is enough to be content, which is entirely possible in any situation as it is all a state of mind. It's a simple quote from a Pearl Buck book called Peony, but in it the main character asks, "Is life meant to be happy or sad?"

I don't like the idea of being a passive entity whose emotions are ever-changing given the situation or cirumstances at hand. I don't want that to affect my quality of life. I don't want my mind to be a prisoner of external forces.

 

You're so cute when you are manifesting, KOS!

The Universe is like this ever-changing, ever-manifesting tree. I think some religions call it something like the tree of wisdom or the tree of life. Eve ate of it's fruit and fed some to Adam, but they seemed to get confused by the serpent in the garden and get unhappy about it or something. Buddha sat under it and was enlightened and beat the Devil (Mara) and they became friends. (Buddhas are VERY good at turning enemies into friends and flaming arrows into flower petals.) It's an ancient secret art they call the art of love and enlightenment. Silly Buddhas! Gotta love 'em though. So it boils down to the fact that real love from within makes you happy, because that is when you recognize who you truly are, and recognize that eevn a fallen star, is in fact, still a star. We are all made of stardust, you know!

 

Yes! Everything good move must move from the inside out.

 

Aren't we all? Like Rumi?

Can I pick door number four?

 

I would say middle school for me. I was jumping off the walls that time. I acted crazy with my tutors and bff.

 

I think the last time I was genuinely happy for a very long time I was 17. You all have such intelligent sounding answers, but mine's pretty simple; my options were open at the time and I could have done anything and I was completely free and independent (well...and in love), since then those opportunities have closed themselves off because of factors that I can't change...anyway, but I do believe that you can be content regardless of your circumstances, and I really like what merrytrees said about good coming from the inside out..very well put!

 

Happiness is just existing. It's miraculous enough you're alive, whether you believe that God created you (in which case it's pretty trippy to imagine God planning things about you specifically and then bringing you into being.. kind of like you were chosen to exist) OR whether it's up to random chance. Existence is taken so much for granted.

 

I don't remember being super happy but whenever I think back on being a kid again, I lose myself.
But the last time I was really happy was last night at the beach. There was a full moon and a strong breeze that made me feel like I was flying. It was the most incredible thing I've done in a while.

 

Heh. I'm the happiest I've been in my whole life. NOW is the happiest I've been. I have a boyfriend whom I love very much, I'm out of my father's house and living on my own, the world is my oyster. I'm 20yrs old!

I was so horribly messed up about everything in my life until I was well into 18. From 18 and up to now I've been moving in warp speed--rearranging my life for the better, figuring out who I am, being who I want to be. Actually, the whole experience has been so liberating and amazing, just thinking about how much I've accomplished in such a short period of time makes me happy.

 

That's a good question. I really don't actually know. I had a rough time in elementary school, with moving around a lot, I had an even rougher time in Middle School, and High School I guess was alright.. to an extent. Right now is kind of... eh- not happy, not sad, just contempt.

 

Really, consistently happy? A very long time.

I have moments, and that's what I've learned to expect (and try to appreciate), but since my mom passed away in 1999 I confess I've found it harder to be happy (and recognize those moments) than I previously did.

In truth though, I've always been sort of softly melancholy by default.

 

I realise one thing. When we are going through that period, we tend to think that "oh god this sucks and I hope that this is over"

but the moment we are out of that period, we start to think " dam..that was the best period of my life." I know that thats what happened to me

when I was in secondary school, i thought that it sucked and that I was miserable. But now, looking back, I realised that I enjoyed it the most. Great friends and teachers and all.

 

I'm frequently really happy, all it takes is the right person saying the right thing at the right time, or thinking about something that uplifts me, or engaging in Se delights, seriously happens a lot... holding onto that feeling? Well that's a whole other story. I'm always looking at the future so staying focused on being happy in the moment can take effort.

 

Oh Lurker you are so smart, very well spotted, this goes for me as well And happiness is superhappy whereas lows are very low.

 

Couple of days ago when I discovered my purpose in life... lol... kinda random but yeah. It's something that means a lot to me, and I've been searching for it for years.

I'm relatively happy today. I voluntarily got up before 9am for the first time since like forever.

And I started drawing recently for the first time since I was about 14. I don't know why I stopped, but I don't think it was healthy for me to have done so.

Yeah overall things are on the upswing for me, but it was bound to happen sometime.

 

I'm very easily excited. So I get bursts of excitement/happiness. A lot of my happiness has to do with how I feel about/towards other people (which is really based on how they 'make' me feel and the effect they have on me).

I'm not sure when I last felt continually happy. But I feel more content these days (most days) than I ever have .

An idea: Maybe I'm usually happy, and whatever I feel that's not happiness is something that builds on top of it. Maybe happiness is my natural state, one that doesn't go away but can get obscured.

What is happiness anyways? How is it different from contentment, from joy, from excitement, from feeling love and loved?