Do we really have to pursuit happiness?

 It was John Locke (1632-1704) whose coined the phrase 'pursuit of happiness' in his book An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, he was a major English philosopher whose political writings in particular helped pave the way for the French and American revolutions. Later on, Thomas Jefferson took the phrase and incoorporated it into his famous statement of a peoples' inalienable right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the America's Declaration of Independence.

What most people don't know, however, is that Locke's concept of happiness was majorly influenced by Greek philosophers, Aristotle and Epicurus in particular. Thus far from simply equating "happiness" with pleasure, properties or the satisfaction of desire, Locke distinguishes between imaginary happiness and true happiness.

And since happiness in Aristotle concept came from the word "eudaimonia" - what later on translated in many ways become "holy spirit" (daimon = spirit). Then we can understand that the notion of happiness is actually came from within, it never depend or cause by external factors. Because life naturally will always change. The cycle of life is like the rotation of the earth towards the sun that created day and night phenomena. So does with life. Sometimes, night fall and everything seemed dark, vague, even hopeless and scary. But when the morning come, you started to see things clearly. Your fear fade away, the light of the sun makes plants grow and animals alive. All of the liveliness we feel in life is like "the day time of our life". And it is absurd to always want the sun shines in the sky while creatures also need to sleep, and we need some degree of coolness. Just away from the heat of life for a while.

When we contemplate on that. Then we realize that depending our happiness in this ever changing life is kind of tragic, because along with the come and go, we feel evertime the pain and sadness. While there are other way to deal with it. To accept that the night will come, to embrace the pain and loneliness as a part of life. Even a seemingly tragic event happen to us can be a good remedy for our soul. And with that, we don't have to pursue the happiness. By being okay with what is rather than always want to chase what we want. []

Amsterdam in the beginning of fall season, 2 October 2021