We frequently confuse happiness with obtaining what we desire. For some of us, happiness can be as simple as a cup of milk tea, a helping of delicious food, a breathtaking landscape, or a long-awaited reunion with a friend. For some, happiness entails making a lot of money and possessing luxurious cars and magnificent mansions. However, when such passion fades, we are prone to feeling empty. We question the meaning of life. In my opinion, happiness is not merely possessing material things but rather the enjoyment of the simplest things in life: the good, the beautiful, and the true.
In fact, there is no universally accepted definition of happiness. "Being content" is the best state of mind. Having more does not always equal happiness. A full stomach, a comfortable shelter, a harmonious family, and the companion of a healthy beloved are the most basic forms of happiness; everything else is icing on the cake. The important thing is not to possess everything we desire, but to cherish what we have. As Marcus Aurelius put it, "Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
Of course, acquiring more will not always make us happy, but doing our best will. In other words, we will have a much brighter and happier future when we focus everything we do in life on becoming the person we want to be by bringing out the best in ourselves and doing whatever our hearts desire, rather than setting absolute requirements.
"The happiness we pursue throughout our lives is not in the past or future, but in the present scene: the bowl of food and the people accompanying us." This sentence from People's Daily touches me deeply. So, in fact, happiness is as simple as having a place to return home to, a loved one waiting, and a meal to be served. "Living a peaceful life" is nothing more than a bowl of hot soup at home and the lamp turned on for us. Happiness is not having too much, but achieving our best through our own efforts, being who we want to be, accompanying our beloved, and caring about whatever is most significant to us.