Though we all have a seed of happiness inside, many of us forget to nourish it and cultivate it along the way. We have been educated to believe happiness comes from having a stable economic situation, a good salary, a nice house in a particular area and so many other things. While these things can certainly distract us, and allow us to live more comfortably, happiness is not something which can be bought or sold at the corner store, neither does it come by living in a specific place. It isn’t possible to “find” happiness, much less chase after it.
“There is no happiness in having or in getting, only in giving..” – Og Mandino.
We are tamed and trained by society, and a constant avalanche of marketing, to believe if we don’t have the latest, greatest telephone; a particular brand of clothes, or any other possession, that we can’t be happy. 
The billboards scattered along the highway of life show attractive, beautiful models with great big smiles. The message is if we dress, eat and drink as they do, we will be happy.
The question is:
Do we really need a particular brand of clothes, food or drink to be happy?
Of course, the answer is a resounding NO!
While the economy depends on the purchase and sale of many different items, and it is important for companies to sell their products, what are the subliminal messages permeating our minds?
It’s vital we as a society evaluate the effect of these messages over the long-term.
Having money is good and desirable, not dirty and deplorable. Money and its equivalents allow us to buy things both useful and necessary; clothes which protect us, food which nourishes us, and too those things which are unnecessary but pleasurable also pleasurable. While these things are nice to have, we do NOT need them to be happy.
There are people in the world who are very happy even though they have never used brand name clothes, eaten an exquisite meal or tried a particular brand of soft drink. Yet many are convinced they cannot be happy if the lack certain items.
What if we were left on a deserted, distant isle?
Would we survive?
How would our paradigm change in terms of what is we need to be happy?
For many years, life on the planet went along swimmingly with no televisions, computers or telephones, all of which have been introduced in the last century.
Nevertheless, these days we find some who believe having a “stupid” phone, which only receives and makes calls, is a cause for being unhappy.
We have become a “disposable” society where things and people, instead of being fixed, are abandoned and cast aside.. The great irony is that many look for happiness by trying to achieve, buy, and do more where frequently they generate more stress than happiness.
In this world, where unhappiness for not having certain things abounds, the only thing we need to do to be happy is to increase the quality and quantity of what we give. As long as we focus on bettering the lot of others by giving them our friendship, our time and a good example; we can experience happiness from the top of our head to the tips of our toes. When we give our very best effort, we receive the greatest gift of all, which comes from having given.
∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL III 46