The Pursuit of Happiness

"It doesn't make sense to make money for yourself, when you don't take care of yourself, when you're not dreaming or happy."

"We all need something bigger than ourselves to care about."

These are both quotes from the documentary Happy, which I started rewatching tonight. It's probably my favorite documentary simply because it conveys such a good, yet obvious message. It's more of a reminder to me than anything. At the beginning of the documentary, there is a quote by Benjamin Franklin. He says, "The U.S. constitution does not guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch it yourself." Oh, the simple truth of that statement. The documentary tries to answer the questions "What makes us happy?" and "Who is happy?" and "Why are they happy?" According to psychological studies, 50% of our happiness is genetic, 10% is based on social, economic, and circumstantial factors, and the other 40% is the result of our choices. There is also research to prove that the difference in happiness between someone who earns $5,000 and someone who earns $50,000 a year is significant, whereas the difference between someone who earns $50,000 and someone who earns $500,000 is negligible. The happiest people are the ones who rely on intrinsic happiness- happiness centered around personal growth (such as in learning an instrument or improving in a sport), family, friends, and social life, and doing things to help one's community and better the world. None of these surprise me, as I am happiest when I am with people I love, or outside, or helping someone, or doing something new. I think the sad truth is that for most of us, we know what makes us happy. We just choose to do other things. But it's not so hard to set aside a few hours every day to just do something that makes you happy.

Day 642 Song Recommendation: "Happy" by Robert DeLong. The beginning of this song reminds me of the McDonald's theme song.
-SE Wagner