Is Happiness The Point?

Last updated on: July 11, 2016 at 8:50 pm by Ambaa Choate

Is Happiness The Point? 2016-07-11T20:50:10-04:00 Ambaa Choate

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We were visiting friends in Ohio last week when this question came up. We were talking about a relative who seemed to be going down a sad path, one in which she was encouraged not to think for herself or question anything. She expresses a desire to marry very young with a courtship and not kiss until her wedding day. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, of course, but one wonders if she truly desires those things or if it’s something she’s been told to want. It’s hard not to worry that people who do that end up disillusioned and undeveloped in a personal way a few years down the line. It can be hard to see a relative willingly not examining her own desires and doing what she has been raised to do.

I then said, “Well, as long as she’s happy.”

To which my friend said, “Is that all that matters?”

He went on to ask if being happy excuses ignorance, if it’s okay to turn away from truth as long as you feel happy. I’ve never questioned whether happiness is the point. To me, of course it is. But when I say happy I mean that deep satisfied contentment that I think can only come from being on the right path for one’s self. I think happiness is a compass that shows us that we’re going the right way. I’m not sure that I think there can be happiness without truth.

It may seem strange to us seekers, but I think some people can be truly happy in an unexamined life. What do you think?

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