“Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue.”
Viktor E. Frankl
One does not pursue happiness but instead chooses a meaning, a purpose, a reason, and then happiness would, or could, follow. This means that the world is firstly given a form of structure and a discernable sense of being by going forth towards a given direction. Without this goal and vessel to travel with, with no port set in mind to sail to and no ship to carry you, then no wind or direction is favourable, and no amount of it is worthy, for there is neither motivation nor purpose to guide you along the way. One does not know how close one is to the goal since there is no goal set in the first place. You would only be like a leaf blown in the winds of the world, a vagabond in the forest of life without shelter from the doubts and no destination to venture through.
Such a confused state of life and untapped potential leads one to feel lost and think of no positive traits which would have otherwise given mobility and a personal cause. One such form of mobility is in having a job and one that suits you, one thing which Jordan Peaterson stresses that would have a psychologically positive effect, and have a concrete sense of direction. Every day one’s efforts are of a psychological benefit as well, something to wake up to,, a means for living that is aligned to one’s choices and abilities that self-actualises one’s existence.
Perhaps it is good to note how philosophy, psychology and biology overlap one another with how one can reason through the tumultuous waves of making sense of the otherwise chaotic reality. It is the human conundrum on what to do in this world, as the world is chaos unless an understanding is in place, and if one does not have one in place then it is no surprise that there is no structure or meaning.
There is also a theory named the “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” which can be used to prioritise the facets of one’s life so as to find the right balance and to target the right goals to base one’s life on. Psychology also introduces concepts such as trauma and complexes, which are instilled in an individual and can direct their behaviour beyond their conscious awareness. These would also need to be addressed as otherwise they would interfere with the general outlook on life and the performance at work. Issues such as those of trust and people pleasing can most probably interfere with performance and teamwork, hence whichever job you employ yourself to, then the time spent will be of no use, regardless of whether the employment would have fit your frame of innate characteristics.
Biologically one can assess what could be missing from oneself, both in a physical and chemical sense. Is one having enough time for physical training? Is one in a good clean environment without toxins and is well nourished? Does one have a place to sleep? And on a psychiatric note, is one’s physical chemistry in the right balance or does one need some form of medication or exercise and a diet regime to prepare oneself so as to be able to be at one’s best?
Philosophy ventures to question the obvious so as to find a new niche, so to speak, of thought and meaning. This would be helpful to challenge one’s outlook on life and do the needed changes when the obvious is given ulterior points of views, or even a rational review to balance the otherwise set in stone beliefs. This intertwines with the psychological work needed on oneself, where one could try to justify one’s beliefs or make amends on one’s outlook on life, yet psychologically one could have beliefs that prevents this from gaining its full fruition.
There is also the facet of spirituality, which is one of the aspects tackled in analytical psychology. It takes onboard the concepts put forward originally by Carl Jung, ideas that focus on integrating with the consciousness the undiscovered and unowned facets of the individual. This is done to lead the patient towards the path of individuation by promoting the completeness of the self, rather than its suppression or to have in us an induced state of self-conflict. This work would lead to the understanding and employment of one’s own innate skills that would help to find purpose where one’s abilities are used to their full extent.
On a religious note, one can have faith that the path would yield positive results, for the journey of self discovery is not easy and at times one is put in places where not even God would seem to be present, only for the fire within to help one to rise again and realise that the descent into such darkness was just a test to empower the self rather than the end.
Thus we can understand that the road towards happiness is not to automatically switch to its experience but to pursue a meaning or the search for it. It involves getting into terms with ourselves and finding peace and a place in the world, a meaning from which happiness can flow from, a meaning that can stay with us as we endure the reality of the world that we live in.
