What is happiness

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory. - Albert Schweitzer

Far too many people these days think that happiness and success is wealth. And then far too many people will realize the truth many years later, and usually after they fell ill, broken relationships and/or gone broke due to business failure or bad investment choice. By then, it may be too late for some.

To be clinical, there are different types of happiness. Absolute or relative happiness. Relative happiness is short-term, like buying your long-waited latest model of iphone. This gives you an instant gratification that perhaps you didn't experience for quite a while.

But that 'nice' feeling didn't last long either. Such craving and short term effect is actually quite normal. We are human after all. And that's human desire. What we need to know and learn is that such desire don't control us. If we are in control, we shall have our mind focus on the right things. I.e. health rather than wealth.I'm not advocating that people should be poor to be happy. That would be wrong. Prioritization of things in life is key to happiness. If we focus on absolute happiness, we begin to think long term and the truth about life. We will not be blinded by visual appeal and surface words. We will, instead, dig deep to uncover the truth.

So, let's examine Albert's words of wisdom for this post, beginning with good health.

If you are past 35 years old and have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, and taking daily medicine, you will appreciate what good health means. I once read an article describing a man's typical work life that begins in his/her twenties working very hard to earn wealth & build career but has no time to spend it. And then in the thirties he got even more busy with getting married and having kids. So in his forties, health problems start to show and so wealth goes to treatment and family. Then one day one looks back to find that you work hard to earn the money at the expense of health to be spent later on getting back health. Irony isn't it. But it's true!

So good health should come first before wealth.

Now, why happiness is to have a bad memory?

Yup, not remembering those unhappy memories is probably the best solution to a happier life. Conversely, having a good memory remembering only good things is equally true. So, can we attain selective memory? Tough probably. Perhaps it's easier to fill your memory with so many good memories that there isn't space and time for bad ones! Guess this is more doable. Thus i try to keep busy - like writing this post. ; )