Happiness is a Choice
"You’re born, you have a set of sensory experiences, and then you die. How you choose to interpret those experiences is up to you, and different people interpret them in different ways." — Naval Ravikant
Having watched this inspiring video, I am more convinced that happiness is a choice.
Our brain grants us the ability to process raw experience at our liberty. We can, functionally and inaccurately speaking, divide the brain into three parts. Apart from the primal part that governs our survival functions—breathing, drinking, and swallowing—the other two parts are the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. The limbic system generates primitive behavioral and emotional responses, direct and unbridled. Conversely, the prefrontal cortex intelligently regulates our thoughts, actions, and emotions through extensive connections with other brain regions. In essence, we possess an innate mechanism to channel our sensory experiences and raw emotions into the prefrontal cortex.
// The Physical Foundation
By regularly moving our bodies and also allowing ourselves sufficient rest—which most of us can manage to achieve—we should be happy enough (although some might argue that these measures will only lower our unhappiness but not increase our happiness). If the notion of controlling our minds feels elusive, refining our physical well-being offers a more accessible path towards happiness.
// Perspective in Hardship
Some might object to the idea of one being able to choose happiness—"Humans are fortune's fool," they say. However, a challenging life shall not diminish one's capacity to embrace happiness. Viktor Frankl, a survivor of a German concentration camp who authored the renowned book "Man's Search for Meaning", posits that "suffering, when put into clear perspective, becomes not suffering." In fact, he contends that happiness can emerge from overcoming suffering, because it is up to individuals, in the face of diverse hardships, to seek their unique life purposes and discover meaning. In other words, life resembles a quest for meaning, and it is within this pursuit that happiness is uncovered.
// An Inward Resolution
Happiness is indeed a choice. It emanates from within, and we possess the ability to transform sorrow, pain, and unhappiness, replacing them with a mindset predisposed to happiness and an inclination to perceive the world optimistically. Undeniably, this endeavor is not devoid of challenges, yet the choice remains unequivocally ours to make.