I see such an obsession with happiness these days. It's sad.
There's different sorts of happiness, but the one people seem after the most is the lowest, saddest form of happiness - a pleasurable mix of biochemicals.
Do you know how cocaine works? It's what's known as a triple-reuptake inhibitor. It makes some of the happiness chemicals - serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine - cycle out of your brain more slowly, giving you wonderful feelings.
And - so what? You've got more happiness chemicals in your brain so you bliss out? How could anyone in their right mind think this is the meaning of life?
I try to do things that I find meaningful, ideally on the largest scale I can. I'm not there yet, but I'm trying. I still need to get stronger in other areas, get more disciplined. But I'm working on it.
I figure, if I chase meaning, the happiness and fun largely takes care of itself. To be sure, some happiness is important - it's important the way good respiration, circulation, and good immune system is important. It's part of being a healthy, functioning human.
But as a meaning of life? Really? Optimizing your biochemistry for happiness? You're kidding, right? When I read about people who devote their lives to happiness, I feel like I've walked on stage of an obscure dry humor comedy, and I'm the only one who doesn't get the joke. Happiness? Really?
Don't get me wrong - happiness is important. I'd put it right up there in importance with good respiration, circulation, and immune system. You should spend some researching the basics of happiness, and do enough of that stuff to be happy enough. And once a satisfactory level of happiness is achieved, why not do meaningful things? You could build, you could work on great things, you could become single-minded for a cause - these are so much better than the lowest forms of happiness.
Happiness? Pfft. MEANING.