Happiness should not be sought

Happiness is a shy bird. If you hunt it, it will fly away. It is better to set a trap for it, look the other way. Pleasure seekers miss it. They are restless, discontented people, who, having no inward happiness, seek it in outward things, where they do not often find it. It is a common mistake to think that money brings happiness. `If only I were rich1 we sigh. Money is not to be despised; and it can do much to make life pleasant. Yet the rich are sometimes unhappy, and some poor men sing. So the source of happiness cannot be simply in wealth, and even those who will never be rich can still be happy.

There are some outward conditions that make for happiness. First is good health. A man, who suffers from chronic indigestion or a deranged liver, cannot feel very happy. There is a lot of truth in the famous joke in punch: `Is life worth living? It all depends on the liver!’ and yet it is wonderful how some invalids rise above their pain and weakness, and keep smiling faces. But these are brave souls, who find happiness within, in spite of their ailments. Every one is not a hero; and few can resist the depression and gloom that bad health brings. So to be happy we must keep well, and observe the laws of health.