In the yard the rain, the weather and flying at such a time I always pulled to philosophize. And today I will philosophize on one of the eternal themes – of happiness. Perhaps, if we try to hold on the street poll, asking people a simple question, “What for you happiness?” So we get a lot of different answers. Who can say that for him happiness – to be healthy, for someone to find a loved one, have a lot of money, to make a career, to jump with a parachute. For someone happiness – to make the world better, but for someone else – to eat tasty soup with bacon.

(As for me, after I have dinner with bacon soup, the world just gets better.) And do not think it wrong if I say such a thing: every person living on Earth, regardless of age, sex, social status, cultural background, geographic location, one way or another pursue happiness. Even the most perverted masochist, nail piercing his hand, he is also such a strange way pursue happiness. Or an alcoholic, who lies near the bins drunk, he thinks, for his happiness – to find a bottle of vodka, but whether it will make him happy? Of course not. It turns a bad thing: that what we want and we think that it will bring us happiness, sometimes turns out to be only a mirage in the desert. Sometimes we think happiness is what we at this moment don’t have, but as soon as we get it, immediately cease to value (for example, health). There are people who have a lot of money, a career, succeed, drive expensive cars and live in big houses, and are they happy?

Someone very well said: “Happy is not the one who has many, but one who has enough.”
Apparently, tragicomedy of our life that we all strive for happiness, but often confuse happiness and pleasure. Last only a pale shadow, a pitiful substitute what is real happiness. And the one who mistakenly sees his happiness only in the pleasures, like a fool, trying to fill a bottomless pit. Can not be satisfied with pleasure, because pleasure is never enough, always something missing, want something new and fresh. Very good sufi parable about it.

In one State, there was a young king. He was very proud and domineering. When he passed on his possessions, the people fell prostrate and cried,
– Long Live the Emperor!
And back came the treasurer, and threw it bent figure of gold coins. People were willing to cut the throats of each other, these coins from the imperial treasury, digging in the dirt in their quest.

One day, marching in this way, he saw a monk who had not bowed their heads and not enough – went to meet him. The executioner, on seeing this, rushed ahead of the emperor’s order to cut off the rebellious head. And when he had swung to behead disobedient, he heard loud voice of his master:
– Stop!
The young king rushed to that of a wandering dervish, fell to his knees and kissed his greasy dressing-gown.
The people of this troubled and unhappy began to shout:
– Long Live the Emperor! – Hoping to be showered with gold coins. But the emperor saw in this dervish his father, who abdicated in his favor from the throne and went to seek the truth.
– Father, I’m glad you’re back!
– No, I did not. I was on the edge of the earth, and now I go to the other side. And my road goes through your possessions …
– But it is your possession! Father, it hurts me to see you in those wretched clothes. Treasurer, riprap him gold as much as he will want!
– No, son. Just feed me or give me a few coins so that I could buy food. – And handed him his wooden cup. The emperor ordered to fill the cup. But when the treasurer began to fill the cup, it was still remaining empty. Then the emperor was outraged and told to pour out a bag of gold into the cup. But it was the same – a cup was remaining empty.
Then the young king commanded to bring a cart of gold, he did not care whether the empty coffers of it – in front of him was his father.
And so, on the fortieth cart, son exclaimed:
– Father, I do not understand, we poured back 40 cart of gold, but it’s still empty!
– Son, I’m glad you’re already on the 40th cart pondered this question. You are too early understands this. I am for this to give up everything and threw in it my kingdom, health, youth, and in general all that I had, but as you can see – is still empty!
For this is the cup of our desires and lust filling her stultifying take away from us all that we have … …. In it we can put and life, but it better not be on this!

Then what real happiness? Socrates once said: “The less a person needs, so it is closer to God.” I think that true happiness lies in the ability to appreciate what we have, rejoice in the small. This is the great happiness that we live, we have two arms, two legs, a head (but even without the head can be happy) on the street shining sun, rain, birds singing. In many ways, our happiness depends on what view we see the world. And, finally, another parable, this time Buddhist. Everyone does not understand this parable at once.

In a Buddhist monastery master was in deep meditation, and his disciples sat together. When the master came out of meditation, one monk asked, “Teacher, when you are in meditation, your face just lit up with joy and happiness. How can I achieve a state of happiness through meditation? The teacher said,” You can not achieve. As long as you ask, how can I achieve, you can not achieve. Only when “I” disappear when you no more, only then you can feel what a real joy and happiness”.