The truth is that it is not happiness what we are looking for And it’s a shame, because the entire society is focused on it, in a kind of frantic search for a state that few know about.
Despite how much we talk about it, very few people achieve it, and those few end up losing it. And that is because there is a much more lasting and stable source of well-being
But before getting to know it, let’s see what the ancient Greeks had to tell us about it.
For the inhabitants of Ancient Greece, Happiness (“Hedonia”) was a path, but not the best, at a time when the social was more important for the survival of the city-states.
They thought that pursuing personal happiness was something secondary, childish, without much sense. Maybe it’s because feeling good was just part of the journey, a prior part of the process before doing what you have to do. They knew better than us that pursuing personal happiness is a selfish process that in the end leaves you empty.
Against this, They opposed “Eudaimonia”, which would be human development or flourishing, feeling good and doing good, the search for direction and meaning in life. Being part of a larger context (whether or not one has religious beliefs). We are talking about creating a life according to our personal nature within a social context.
Returning to our time, we find ourselves with an ever-growing existential void: we are discovering that all the formulas that have been sold to us from advertising do not work. Our life is not fuller by consuming everything that is put in front of us
As a curious fact, it has been discovered that happiness or the lack of it is not a good predictor of suicide. But the feeling of empty and meaningless life is.
We need a sense of meaning, something that answers the eternal question of “Why?” that so often assaults us.
And this is where our journey of search begins, perhaps the most important journey of our lives, a journey that knows where it begins, but not where it ends, a journey as suitable for religious people as it is for atheist people.
The journey of self-discovery
Let’s not be fooled: the journey of self-discovery and search for meaning is enjoyable, it does not have to be painful.
And whether we like it or not, The answer is to develop the best of ourselves according to our deepest principles finding the authentic meaning of our life.
And this is precisely where many “merchants of meaning” do their business and offer us their master formula. But it still doesn’t work. Because no one knows why each person has different needs and talents: some talk about “God” and others talk about “Cosmic Lottery.”
Because what really works is a process controlled by the person themselves, in which they discover what their authentic values, talents and gifts are, what makes them feel fulfilled. And little by little, with our gaze also focused on the real world, materializing that vision Thus, a sense of “meaning” or “life mission” develops.
The surprising thing is that when people find their “life mission,” they always say something like “deep down I already knew it.”
And this is within the reach of anyone who wants to do it: there are accessible and controlled methodologies. It’s up to each person to find them.
There are no routes already drawn
To begin with, it is always healthy to distrust all those people who tell us that they know what we need, that they have the answer to our great vital question. And that is because It’s something personal and unique Each person is a unique combination of talents, values and needs and has to find the answer for themselves.
And vital well-being plays a role in this process, a preliminary role: You can learn to live with well-being, but as something prior to making our contribution to the world
That is the key to a life with meaning and purpose, a life worth living. And it is what is so missed in our society.
