by Raymond Bailey

Created on: July 29, 2011   Last Updated: July 30, 2011

Each person in their normal course of existence will experience a varied range of emotions from time to time. These emotions relate to the individual’s internal, mental state and in a general sense will determine the mood of that person. Typically, a person’s internal state of affairs (i.e. their emotions) cannot be seen by another. Clues to emotions are usually gleaned from the external observable manifestations of these emotions (i.e. moods) at a particular time. As such, reference is often times made to a person being sad, happy, depressed or excited, as an illustration of the mood they are in, such moods of course being determined by their internal emotions.

Emotions and moods do not occur in a vacuum, i.e. there are causative factors working to produce a particular type of emotion and mood. Happiness, being a member of these categories of human feelings and expressions, also does not occur in a vacuum. The inevitable question then becomes, what causes a particular emotion/mood in an individual? Or topically, what causes the mood of happiness to be manifested?

Some believe that happiness is an innate quality in all human beings and that the absence of a happy mood, reflects the dormancy of this innateness. This belief postulates that when unhappiness is present, its elimination is simply a matter of reviving the innate happiness that all persons are born with. Taken to its logical conclusion, this line of argument would conclude that perpetual happiness is a function of constant rejuvenation of this innate happy trait. Of course the difficulty with this lies in what methodology would be utilized and the ability of humans, to constantly rejuvenate their innate happiness.

Humans are social creatures, indicative of an existence characterized by constant interactions with each other. In the course of such social interactions persons affect, and are in turn affected by each other. It is the results of these social interactions that produce the myriad of emotions in humans. Such emotions invariably lead to persons having various desires, that in their minds, would lead to an improvement in their current situation. It is the extent to which such desires are fulfilled that determines happiness and the importance of these desires to an individual is a matter of personal choice and is not dependent on the approval of others. Humans are creatures of their desires and perpetual happiness can only exist when an individual is able to satisfy those desires

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>