What makes you happy? Seems like an easy question doesn't it? But, have you ever really sat down and thought about what makes you happy and then thought about how long those things kept you happy? Europeans are really susceptible to fleeting happiness in my mind. Our need for instant gratification and our insatiable consumerism is a sad testimony to how little we know about what makes us happy. But, I digress...

Many religions teach us that this life is about suffering and that the only "hope" is that, if we do the "right" things in this life, then we will be rewarded with happiness later. I have always had a problem with this, because I believe that it is possible to be happy in this life.

So, let's talk about what it takes to be happy...

One of my favorite quotes is from Aristotle's book, Ethics. In it he begins by saying "Every art and every investigation, and similarly every action and pursuit is considered to aim at some good." (Note: By the way. What got me thinking on this subject was reading Neil Peart's book The Masked Rider.) Aristotle goes on to ask the question "what is the highest of all practical goods?" and his answer to that question is "happiness".

Happiness is not an aboslute though. There are many forms of happiness, just like there are many forms of love. There are many ways to be happy, not only for the individual, but everyone has their own ways to be happy. I believe that religion over the ages has sought to find common threads that bind us together and make us happy. Here are some examples:

Having a family -- Getting married, having children, seems to be a very common characteristic of human life, in fact some would argue a biological imperative. There is a recurring theme in religion that compells us to have families, even offering advice on how to raise children and how to be a good spouse.

Satisfying work -- Having something to do, to stay busy, to make a contribution to society or to support yourself, seems to be another recurring theme. The Protestant Work Ethic is something that most Americans are familiar with. The Hindus also have similar concepts, called "Ways" that help a person know and understand how best to live their life.

Spirituality -- Of course, every religion with the possible exception of Buddhism, has a supernatural or spiritual aspect to it.

I find the third one to be most interesting question, but the one that is most often ignored. What is it that spiritual leaders since the dawn of human consciousness, have been trying to tell us?

A lot of people equate love with happiness. Love though is a rather ambiguous thing in my opinion. Ambiguous enough that I do not give love much value. I believe that feelings of love are reflections of lower level emotions. Understanding those lower level emotions is key.

If you work, do you "love" your job? Some would say "yes" others would say "no". My dad worked a blue collar job with the same company for 30 years. I can safely say that he did not love his job, but was he unhappy? No. The reason why is because there is a certain amount of happiness that comes from doing your job. I see my dad as a living example of the "Absurd Hero". He found a sense of purpose and fulfillment in doing his job. No matter how mundane, meaningless and uncreative it was, it was purposeful work and that was enough for my dad.

He did more to teach me about existentialism than anyone that I have ever met. What's funny is I doubt he knows what the word means .