The grand and common theme of long-lasting happiness, even though it’s a problematic term to categorize because it means different things to different people is that everyone strives to achieve it.
Life is complex and there’s no one-size-fits-all path to finding happiness. There are different ways to achieve long-lasting happiness, and philosophers, for centuries, have been breaking down the components of this state of mind. But you don’t have to be a philosopher to make up your mind. Happiness is important for all of us, and many even consider it the final destination of our journeys.
Many people associate happiness differently. For some, it’s about the internal state, and others look for it in external factors, such as family or money. And I’m on my way to figuring it out as well. One productive and positive perspective we can share is that happiness is a skill we can cultivate. As wisdom quotes from historical figures like Marcus Aurelius remind us:
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.
Stoic philosophers have been known for cultivating their virtues and living reasonably according to nature to achieve a long-term state of happiness. They had a favorable attitude toward life, shared objective judgment based on reason, and expressed their affirmations and gratitude.
Despite the passage of over two thousand years, the philosophy of Stoicism is still favorable and cultivated by many people, and even seems to experience its renaissance these days. “Meditations“ by Marcus Aurelius remains one of the most powerful guides to live.
And this attitude of being able to achieve happiness, comparing it to a skill that we can develop by acquiring a certain approach and act is still alive.
