Are you happy? From the Buddhist perspective, every living being wants to be happy. They spend their entire lives searching for true happiness, from the tiniest ant to the richest person on earth. This is the one constant you can rely on. We search for happiness in all the wrong places. Sometimes, in our search for happiness, we end up creating the very causes of suffering, such as indulging in addictions or pursuing wealth, position, or status. At other times, our pursuit of happiness causes others to suffer.
What is happiness, anyway? Is it material wealth, good health, family, home, or peace? Or is happiness merely the absence of suffering? I am hungry, so I eat. If I eat too much, I suffer; if I eat poison, I suffer.
In Samsara, the cycle of birth and rebirth in this contaminated world, suffering is inherent. True, lasting happiness can never be achieved. The best we can hope for is to practice patience, contentment, and acceptance.
GrowingOlderHopeWiser 
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