6 Comments

"What is happiness?" arghhhh was hoping you wouldn't turn this back to the reader. But my happiness lies in the little moments. It's the first sip of coffee I have in the morning, arriving on the subway platform just as the train arrives, having dinner with my partner. Small things, but important things.

Expand full comment

Yes. I like this. But see I tend to categorize these as joyful experiences that expanded in a long-enough timeline become contentment. But these are lovely things that make me happy just thinking about them!

Expand full comment

I love the thought that "contemplation of happiness is a rite of passage." We all find ourselves experiencing in abundance, suffering from the lack, questioning the meaning, re-examining, and re-defining the meaning of happiness throughout our lives. For me, happiness is just that. Happiness cannot be confined to joy - it is the ability to experience joy amongst sadness, grief, elation, etc.. Happiness is the ability to contemplate the meaning of happiness. Happiness, in short, is existence.

Thank you for sharing my piece and thank you for this one in return.

Expand full comment

Thank you for getting my gears turning, Haley! I like the happiness is the ability to contemplate the meaning of happiness. I'm going to have to "contemplate" that one for a bit :)

Expand full comment

Thanks for citing my piece, Camilo. Some say: "I know it when I see it", referred to something else. But I guess it could work for happiness too. Or for whatever you want to call that state that you know you're in, sometimes. Nice reflection here, which you kind of anticipated in a comment to my piece the other week. Thank you for expanding on it and sharing. This whole thing (for lack of a better word/definition) is something very hard to define or pin down. "It’s not about being pedantic, but bringing clarity to my sensations so that I don’t fall into the facade of pretending that I know what happiness is, out of fear of being ostracized by others who, like me, are also pretending they know exactly what happiness is." -- This brought a smile to my face. Well put. :)

Expand full comment

Yes, Silvio! In fact, it was my comment on your piece that week that prompted me to expand upon it. It's a tricky topic, and hard to say anything definitive about it, but I appreciate that you found this expansion helpful and that I put a smile on your face. Grazie!

Expand full comment