幸福等于快乐(happinessequateswithfun)

幸福等于快乐(Happ in ess Equates with Fun)

i live in hollywood. you may thi nk people in such a glamorous, fun-filled place are happier than others, if so, you have some mistake n ideas about the n ature of happ in ess.

many in tellige nt people still equate happ in ess with fun. the truth is that fun and happ in ess have little or nothing in com mon. fun is what we experie nee duri ng an act. happ in ess is what we experie nee after an act. it is a deeper, more abidi ng emoti on.going to an amuseme nt park or ball game, watch ing a movie or televisi on, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. but they do not bring happ in ess, because their positive effects end whe n the fun en ds.

i have ofte n thought that if hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happ in ess has nothing to do with fun. these rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expe nsive homes, everyth ing that spells “ happ in ess ” irtoumemoir after memoir, celebrities reveal the un happ in ess hidde n ben eath all their fun: depressi on, alcoholism, drug addict ion, broke n marriages, troubled childre n, profo und Ion eli ness.

the way people cli ng to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equates happ in ess actually dimini shes their cha nces of ever atta ining real happ in ess. if fun and pleasure are equated with happ in ess, the n pain must be equated with un happ in ess. but, in fact, the opposite is true: more times tha n not, things that lead to happ in ess in volve some pain.

as a result, many people avoid the very en deavors that are the source of true happ in ess. they fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achieveme nt, religious commitme nt, civic or charitable work, and self-improveme nt.