Pursuit

The Pursuit of Happiness (1971 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's a topic that's come up several times in my life recently, most notably in a recent issue of Time.

We don't have a right to happiness.  We have a right to the pursuit of happiness.

There are innumerable studies and rules of thumb and old wives tales about things that make people happy, and there will always be someone they don't work on. A person who doesn't need more sleep because depression has her sleeping all day. A person who isn't cheered up with exercise because he has chronic pain.  An introvert who can't stand crowds; an extrovert who can't stand solitude.

But we pursue.

We look for our passion because maybe then our day jobs will make us happy.  We try to find out where we belong, so we won't feel like outsiders anymore.

We want something, and maybe we don't even know what that something is. But in the end, it boils down to whatever will make us happy.

Sometimes, it's so tiring to keep chasing.

So what do you do next?

No, really.  I'm asking.

Related articles

• Time Magazine: The Pursuit of Happiness (Part I)