The Essence of Happiness: Finding Euphoria

Just like any other sentiment, happiness is known to be one. Imagine that you’ve recently completed your most anticipated exams and are eagerly awaiting the summer break, believing it will bring you joy. The last exam went well; however, you don’t feel happy about it. Instead, you feel overwhelmed by what comes next. In the evening, you had planned to hang out with your friend. On the way, you both thought of buying toys for small children instead of buying matching jewellery for yourselves. With strong emotions, you bought all the toys you wanted. You felt as if you froze in that moment, and now you want to relive that memory whenever you face any inconvenience in life. That feeling was pure, filled with ultimate joy. A cocktail of emotions filled your heart when you saw the pure bliss on their faces as you distributed the toys. And that day, you learned something new: You are always in the middle of what you used to pray for. There was a time when you fretted over the upcoming exams, and when they passed successfully, you just wanted to take on more burdensome thoughts.

The problem is that you think true happiness will come once you acquire that expensive guitar, possess the latest iPhone, and do whatever others are doing to find pleasure. Happiness comes from within; it’s about seeing those old pictures of your grandparents with your loved ones while sipping tea. It’s about watching the sunset, waking up for the sunrise, and having deep conversations in the middle of the night. Reading those poems behind the attractive Pakistani trucks and feeling that the poetry was written just for you, making you the main character! Not distancing yourself and finding peace by knowing what you truly want. It will get confusing for you to progress. Sometimes, to celebrate life, you have to celebrate who you are.

Then you have the privilege to entertain the thought of learning something new, maybe starting with learning a new instrument. However, if that doesn’t make you feel something new, you may drown again in the confines of your thoughts. But then you rise again from the fall, with an urge to start your life all over and cherish every moment to its fullest. Believe me, when you do, you’ve won.

Happiness is something that isn’t kept in a box; it’s something that has to be felt openly. It’s about finding your passion and who you truly are. It’s the small moments in life that we tend to ignore and overlook. There’s always this constant urge to do something more extraordinary than others. Sometimes it gets exhausting. Same old, same old. The world seems like a movie set, and you only have one role, but how can you play it well if you don’t feel the script, don’t relate to it, and don’t find happiness in it?

And now, I’m writing this while sitting on my terrace, watching the sunset. Next time I pen something like this, I promise myself that every word will be believed and implemented from the depths of my heart. Not feeling cliché about people having a conversation about happiness and knowing that I’ve found the true essence of this emotion. Just see the wide sky and know that there’s so much to live for.