It defies environment. It comes from within;
it is the revelation of the depths of the inner life as light and heat
proclaim the sun from which they radiate. Happiness consists not of
having, but of being; not of possessing, but of enjoying. It is the
warm glow of a heart at peace with itself. A martyr at the stake may
have happiness that a king on his throne might envy. Man is the creator
of his own happiness; it is the aroma of a life lived in harmony with
high ideals. For what a man _has_, he may be dependent on others;
what he _is_, rests with him alone. What he _ob_tains in life
is but acquisition; what he _at_tains, is growth. Happiness is the
soul's joy in the possession of the intangible. Absolute, perfect,
continuous happiness in life, is impossible for the human. It would
mean the consummation of attainments, the individual consciousness of a
perfectly fulfilled destiny. Happiness is paradoxic because it may
coexist with trial, sorrow and poverty. It is the gladness of the
heart,--rising superior to all conditions.
Happiness has a number of under-studies,--gratification, satisfaction,
content, and pleasure,--clever imitators that simulate its appearance
rather than emulate its method.
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