Happiness

How would one define happiness? What does being happy mean to oneself?

Some say buying their dream home, some say owning their dream car, some say dream man/woman and the list goes on and on. After all, greed and discontentment is one of the inherent weaknesses of a human being.

I remember writing about the topic of happiness sometime back where we all attach something to happiness. We can only be happy if we have x, own y or have x and y. Can happiness really be summarised into an equation where if you have all the elements, the end potion will be happiness? Can happiness be bottled? I am not talking about stimulants!

I remember reading somewhere that as humans we put too much attachment to happiness such that we actually need to fulfil conditions before happiness comes upon us. Thus, to me, true happiness is happiness that exists in pure form- no conditions, no tag and no equations. Happiness is just what it is. You simply feel happy even with nothing. However, this state of happiness is so nirvana and unattainable, it's almost impossible to find. Almost.

I had a small dose of happiness this morning which came with its own attachment - my first foray into painting again. It's truly satisfying when you get your sketches the way you want it, find a suitable blend of colours and produce the effect you want. I soon found myself humming to the music I was listening to. For those few hours, it just felt like time and space stopped. With no examinations hanging over my head, painting has truly become a happy and relaxing experience.

On a totally irrelevant note, are there times when you feel like you are a totally different person around different people?