(A/N: I've been feeling quite shit about myself for like... a very long time and it reminded me of this essay that I wrote two years ago about happiness. I was like still very depressed when I was writing this but I got the only 100% in my class so anything is possible kiddos)

Happiness and the Hapless Humans

          Happiness.  Another very human thing that humans decided to lock in a box and very curiously throw away its key.  The key's whereabouts have been argued for centuries but a distinct location has yet to have been discovered.  The 19th century British philosopher, political economist and civil servant, John Stuart Mill's argument for the key to the arcane feeling of happiness is that it is not a feeling that can be reached with itself as the direct intent, but must be the byproduct of other, less self-oriented, objectives: other people's happiness, the improvement of mankind, and the pursuit of some art or career.  The reaching of these more humanly defined goals may distract from the over analyzation of one's feelings of happiness, which could cause the feeling to atrophy.  This philosophy definitely holds truth for many as it has held a place for reference on the debate of happiness for over a century.  However, the means that Mill says can advocate for the natural occurrence of happiness are mainly focussed on the wellbeing of things outside of yourself which is not beneficial for all people.  Many people can feel happiness from achieving goals that are for the improvement of one's own life; ranging from something as great as gaining peaceful insight through meditation to having some free time to read a really good book.  Mill says that happiness should be as natural as breathing, but if we constantly disregard the condition of ourselves to evade internal conflict, is this not denial?  In order to truly be happy you must be able to actively benefit yourself, consciously make rational decisions, and know what you are grateful for to understand how you can improve your way of life.

          In Mill's argument he claims that focussing on things other than yourself is the road to happiness, which contradicts the human's instinctive efforts towards happiness, the achievement of intrinsic goals.  These goals pertain to your core desires— which prioritize the interest in things that each individual finds meaningful or is passionate about, the cultivation of strong relationships, and personal growth.  Humans as social creatures crave happiness and, in turn, satisfaction within these categories; we want motivation, we want to know that we are unconditionally cared for and supported by people we trust, and we want the peace of mind that we fit in with society.  Dedicating yourself to an art or pursuit also requires that you are consciously aware of whether it is making a positive impact or causing enjoyment.  Even so, not all people get the privilege of having a job that they enjoy.  According to a 2013 survey by Gallup News, only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged in their work.  Sure, we can put all of our efforts into improving someone or thing else but we have to remember that we are a part of the interactions with these things or people and should be concerned about if the interaction is good for us or not.  Mill's proposal is flawed in that you have to assume that the happiness that you are offering to the other is being properly reciprocated.  

          Something that Mill may have gotten correct was when he said that humans are often quick to scrutiny and self interrogation when faced with the possibility of happiness.  However, he alludes to this self analysis as a negative thing, as most people do, seeing as too much in an adverse way can lead to such mentally ailing condition as anxiety or depression.  But you need to understand that susceptibility to mental illnesses like these are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain which cause this over thinking.  The sureness in Mill's argument stems from his own experiences as he himself was a man who suffered from anxiety and depression, but seeing as inhumane asylums were the height of mental health treatment during his lifetime he obviously did not receive great professional help.  Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is the most popularly used efficacious practice for the improvement of mental health in modern psychology.  The practice involves the patient analyzing the rationality of the worries and fears that certain situations bring up and indoctrinating a change in these negative thoughts to respond in a more effective way than panicking or shutting yourself off.  This form of therapy has been proven to not only lessen the occurrences of these mentally disabling episodes but also has been linked to increased happiness because it has opened up the realization that reflecting upon yourself is completely natural; it's necessary to make improvements.  With this in mind it is easy to see how what Mill suggests for each person to do is not beneficial to mental health and is actually problematic as avoidance of self understanding can result in inefficient coping skills.   

          With this resistance to acknowledging the state of yourself you can completely overlook the small things in life that are good.  David Steindl-Rast, a monk and interfaith scholar, put forth the idea that the universal goal of happiness can be reached by taking a step back from our progress absorbed lives to be grateful for the things that are good and for the most simple gift of opportunity in each moment of living.  In 2005, psychology professor and best-selling author, Sonja Lyubomirsky, performed an experiment on a handful of college students, asking them to "count their blessings" by writing down five things that they are grateful for at the end of each week for 6 weeks to see if their levels of happiness would increase.  At the end of the six week trial the students were surveyed again and they tested to have become 15% happier, which is a dramatic improvement for such a minor intervention that takes a few minutes out of their week.  Whether these young adults wrote that they were thankful for their good health or their moms, they still acknowledged that these were things that brought goodness into their lives which makes them happier.    

          Having this understanding that maintaining a focus on your own wellness, being grateful for the things that are good in life, and being able to question yourself about your emotional condition are the real keys to happiness.  Maybe the great thinker, John Stuart Mill has a good point on the nature of happiness being one that is weak and easily disconcerted but he didn't try to create a new way of thinking that could counteract it either.  He argued that we should strive for obliviousness towards self reflection and use the improvement of others as a distraction from doubt, which is not a healthy way to go about life because you need to understand yourself to improve yourself.  Mill also made all self interrogation out to always be a destructive act, while, in fact, it is necessary as a means of grasping the human things that you are grateful for.