{"id":137005,"date":"2020-01-01T05:51:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T05:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=137005"},"modified":"2020-01-01T10:26:07","modified_gmt":"2020-01-01T10:26:07","slug":"why-is-happiness-so-elusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=137005","title":{"rendered":"Why is happiness so elusive?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Spahic Omer<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a song in Disneys 1991 film Beauty and the Beast<\/em>, \u0153life is so unnerving for a servant whos not serving.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\nheard this, my reaction was: \u0153What a cute way to recap the whole truth about\nlife \u201c and happiness. How right it is that elements of the truth can be found\nanywhere and anytime, often when least expected.\u009d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all\nboils down not to what we actually want, but who actually we are. Our being and\nstatus dictate our needs and aspirations. It is not the other way round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is\nhappiness?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have\nbeen created with an exalted purpose and for a noble mission. We have been\nhonoured by Almighty Allah who made us His vicegerents on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are expected to perform at all times accordingly and to achieve things along the lines of our standing and reputation. This leads to self-realisation, which is the fulfilment of the potentials latent in ones character or personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That inevitably leads to a state of satisfaction and contentment. It provides a deep sense of meaning and gratification. It makes one feel that his most important needs in life are fulfilled. It makes him feel that his life is just what it should be, and that he lives it exactly as life should be lived. It makes him \u0153him\u009d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This furthermore\ncreates a state of a total wellbeing, which is synonymous with a good,\nproductive and enjoyable life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\nis happiness, connoting being truly happy and living a happy life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other\nwords, happiness is when man and life, both as Allahs creations, find each\nother and coexist in a harmonious and reciprocal relationship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness\nis when ones being, purpose, thoughts, plans and actions are all consistent,\nunwavering and in harmony. Happiness is when one is completely in the know and\nacts \u201c when one knows himself, his life and the Creator.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly,\nhappiness is as much an objective as it is a means. It is as much personal as\nmutual an experience. It is primarily spiritual in nature, but its power and intensity\nextend into the intellectual and even physical dimensions of man as well. It encompasses\nhis entire existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, it\nis rightly said that success is not the key to happiness. Rather, it is\nhappiness that is the key to ultimate success. \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It goes without\nsaying, therefore, that happiness is a state of the soul, and to a lesser\nextent, of the mind. It is identifiable with the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man is\ncreated to be happy. Happiness is a heavenly gift. It should be pursued and cherished\nat all costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness\nis the only genuinely valuable thing in life. Everything else is subjected to\nit, leading to or serving it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the\nsame time, the causes and instruments of happiness are countless and\neverywhere. They are accessible to everyone. A person only needs eyes to see,\nears to hear, and a mind as well as heart to perceive and will. Spiritual\nblindness, deafness and dumbness are not conducive to happiness. Happiness is\nthe privilege of nobody. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without\nhappiness, life will be meaningless and worthless. It will be empty and\nunworthy of its tag. It will be all about gloom and virtual lifelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nexample, he who spends his life accumulating material wealth does so believing\nthat material riches will make him happy. Only fools amass wealth for its own\nsake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise,\nhe who spends his entire life chasing positions of authority does so reckoning\nthat having authority and occupying high positions will make him happy. Only\nfools will run after positions regarding them as ends in themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a\nBosnian song goes: \u0153Happiness is not a sack full of money; those who have it,\nknow it.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loss of\nhappiness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\ndespite all this, happiness is the most elusive thing, especially today in the\nmodern age. It is perhaps the most compromised thing, so much so that at times\none gets a feeling that in particular as an experiential phenomenon, happiness\nis in danger of extinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ncondition is not surprising, though. The modern man lives a life full of\nparadoxes. Whatever he does denotes essentially the antithesis of what true\nhappiness stands for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\neffect, the modern mans life is artificial and shallow, and so is his\nhappiness. His life is based on ideologies that champion the notions of\nagnosticism, nihilism and hedonism, all of which are incompatible grounds for authentic\nhappiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness\nonly thrives in the company of authentic knowledge, wisdom, truth and\nontological meaning and purpose, none of which the modern man can offer in an\nadequate measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, man is created innocent, pure and in a state inclined to the absolute truth as well as happiness. Mans task is but to stay the course and to constantly work on optimising his inborn abilities and penchants. That also involves the optimising of the necessary means and milieus, which is indispensable for achieving the former.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if\nhe strays from the given path, mans entire life will revolve around fearing\nthe worst and worrying about \u0153what ifs\u009d. That will be the case because such man\nbetrayed his primordial self and so, set himself on a collision course with the\nnatural and preordained nature of things and events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such,\nman tries to be what he was not meant to be. He tries to live a life which was\nnot meant for him. In vain he wants to live life according to his own selfish\nand vested interests, and not according to the will and plan of his Creator and\nthe Creator of life as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man\nspends his entire life fighting a losing battle. The matter in the end takes a\ntoll on his overall wellbeing and contentment. Life in turn becomes a source of\nunbearable pain and misery, under whatever circumstances. Both man and his life\nbecome unreal. They become untrue to themselves. They become fake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness\nthen becomes an ever-elusive goal. It becomes an anomaly, for there is no\nhappiness for such as have lost orientation and purpose in life. Happiness is\nso candid and real that it is not in accord with falsehood, uncertainty and\npretence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nsituation is exactly as suggested in the mentioned song from the film Beauty\nand the Beast<\/em>, according to which life is so unnerving (unfortunate and\nupsetting, that is, unhappy) for a servant (man has been created only to\nworship and serve) whos not serving (his Creator and Master, Almighty Allah).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a\nsimple analogy, an aquatic animal which is supposed to live entirely in the\nwater can never be made happy outside it, regardless of how exceptionally it might\nbe treated; nor can a terrestrial animal which is supposed to live entirely on\nland be made happy elsewhere, irrespective of how exceptionally it might be\ntreated. \u0153Exceptional treatments\u009d will be the cause of their demise. They all\njust need to be themselves. They need to be natural. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness\nas mere flashes and momentary experiences <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness\nthen becomes reduced to the mere flashes and momentary experiences of a mental\nand spiritual ecstasy, thereby exacerbating in the modern man the feelings of\nexistential incompetence, insolvency and failure. The loss of happiness proves\nthus more calamitous, and the yearnings for it intensify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\nturns the notion of true and permanent happiness into a myth, and the actual\nlife into a series of tragedies. Consequently, life is portrayed as an endless,\nalbeit futile, quest for perfection and ideal happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those endeavours are featured in some of the major constituents of modern civilisation. That is true specifically with reference to the field of the arts, including visual arts, literature and performing arts, on account of art being \u0153the daughter of religion\u009d, and because art in many ways represents the truth, and vice versa<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In passing, it is noted\nin the Encyclopaedia Britannica about tragedy that it is used loosely to\ndescribe any sort of disaster or misfortune. However, it more precisely refers\nto \u0153a work of art that probes with high seriousness questions concerning the\nrole of man in the universe.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hence, for the\nmodern man, the ideas of tragedy, delusion, uncertainty, non-conformity,\ndefiance and \u0153false hopes\u009d are the rule of the day. They are his morals. Having\ndivested himself and his life of all transcendent import and worth, that is the\nonly thing that gives the modern man any sense of existence. That keeps him\ngoing, expecting that the truth and with it happiness are out there, somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more impregnated with this spirit a component of modern culture and civilisation is, the more meaningful and valuable it becomes. Because doubts, untruths, fantasies and fabrications know no bounds, and their authors will stop at nothing in order to express themselves and their cluttered feelings and thoughts, things often appear as beyond the comprehension of most people, including their creators themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, the attainment of happiness, as the most sought-after and the most valuable commodity, suffers most of all. As man becomes more and more inhuman, unsociable, faithless, corrupt and false to himself and the rest of lifes realities, happiness in equal measure becomes more and more far-flung and unreachable. It becomes ever-discordant with mans personality and character. It becomes confined to the realm of dreams and fantasies. It becomes an object of art (objet dart<\/em>) and a plaything in the hands \u201c and minds \u201c of artists, writers, poets, composers, film and television producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of being lived to the fullest, happiness becomes only approximated and talked about. Instead of being real, it becomes unreal and theorised about. And instead of being a predominantly objective and absolute, it is transformed into a subjective and relative concept and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly,\nhappiness is more than sheer fleeting moments of elation and rapture, and\nlittle flashes of bliss and exultation. It is more than living in the moment,\nfor moments are finite and relative. Happiness should be a way of life. Indeed,\nit should be life itself. Those little flashes and short-lived moments of\nhappiness only remind a person of what is out there to be accomplished and\nharnessed, and what he is actually missing. His happiness is no more than a\nhint of the real thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry 1.0,\nIndustry 2.0 and Industry 3.0 \u201c as the three main phases of the industrial and\ntechnological revolution, which coincided with the declaring and waging of all\nsorts of wars against the Heaven and the religious beliefs and values – affected\nman and his natural environment to such an extent that they in terms of their\nintrinsic ontological significance and value were placed on life support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry 4.0 \u201c the fourth industrial and technological revolution rooted in digitalisation as a new technological phenomenon, and where the rift between the real and virtual will intensify \u201c is presently unfolding in front of our own eyes. As it stands, despite the prevailing euphoria, it is set to rob man of every remaining spiritual meaning and substance that his shattered being and life may still contain. The new phase might completely destroy the humanness and dignity of man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the name of progress and civilisation, Industry 4.0 might spell the end of man, earth and the order of nature. It may turn out to be the necropolis of the modern mans last remaining actual senses and consequences. In such a case, happiness will be long gone. It will become the stuff of legend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At an individual level, man is set lose his self. Collectively, mankind is set to come to a dead end and environmental degradation to become unrepairable. The whole process may become a civilisational suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is no wonder that the modern materialistic and nihilistic civilisation is increasingly seen as an experiment that went horribly wrong. The increasing and multiplying problems of mankind and the earth, many of which are of epic proportions, tell us emphatically why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness as a\nsign of success in life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Islam, happiness\nis equivalent to the ultimate success in life, both in this world and in the\nHereafter. Those who are truly happy definitely succeeded in life, and those\nwho are truly wretched definitely failed in life. Happiness in this world\nguarantees happiness in the Hereafter, while unhappiness and wretchedness in\nthis world guarantee the same in the Hereafter. Happiness and truth (faith) are\ntwins. Man is created to worship (serve) and be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why the Quran emphasises that those who follow the right path will have no fear nor shall they grieve or fall into misery (Ta Ha, 123) \u201c as the antitheses of happiness and contentment. Put another way, Almighty Allah will ensure that they live happy, blissful and consequential lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whereas he who turns away from the heavenly message (from Allahs guidance and reminders), will be given a miserable and meagre (unhappy) life \u0153 and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment. He will say: \u0153O my Lord! Why have you raised me up blind while I had sight (before)?\u009d Allah will say: \u0153Just as Our revelation came to you and you played blind; so are you blind today\u009d (Ta Ha, 124-126).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same vein,\nthe Quran calls those who will be Paradise-bound \u0153the happy ones (that is, those\nwho were happy in this world and thus attained happiness in the Hereafter)\u009d,\nand those who will be Hell-bound \u0153the wretched and unhappy ones (that is, those\nwho were unhappy and wretched in this world and thus attained the same state in\nthe Hereafter)\u009d (Hud 105-108).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believers are often\ndescribed as being victorious (and happy) in both worlds, and nonbelievers as\nbeing losers (wretched and miserable) in both worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on this, Shariah or the revealed Islamic law – which is synonymous with Islam as a comprehensive way of life – literally means \u0153the clear and well-trodden path to water\u009d.  That implies that Shariah is the primary source of a Muslim believers life and his cultural and civilisational consciousness. By extension, it is the source of his entire being and his happiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the heavenly source,\nShariah is such that a believer always wants more of it. The more he \u0153drinks\u009d\nfrom it the more he wants, and the better and more \u0153nourished\u009d he becomes. Shariah\nis the only source that cannot harm man in any way, no matter how much man\nwanted, \u0153consumed\u009d and used it. It is furthermore boundless and infinite. It is\ninexhaustible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, all alternative sources of man, which he invented as his own substitutes for success and happiness – while anthropomorphising and rejecting God, and while at the same time deifying man \u201c sooner or later come to the fore as detrimental. They may initially, or partially, seem useful, but in the long run, man is ever-bound to modify his strategies, or to look for other options altogether. And the futile hunt goes on forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the modern hedonistic man attempts to derive happiness and enjoyment from excessively engaging himself in physical pleasures only. However, the same courses of action, at the end of the day, prove disastrous for his wellbeing. Thus, caught in a vicious circle, man is often killed by his indulgences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, certain utopian philosophies and certain more practical socio-political and economic systems were during their times regarded as best models for mans self-realisation and his march towards individual and collective happiness. But the same models soon proved defective. Most of them were later rejected and were relegated to a footnote in history. At best, some were assimilated into the newly emerged models, which in turn before long started experiencing the same fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a sage remarked\nthat there are more life models, \u0153gods\u009d and dogmas on earth than people.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Quran alludes\nto this when it says: \u0153And the parable of an evil word (system or ideology) is\nthat of an evil tree, uprooted from the earth, having no stability\u009d (Ibrahim,\n26).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And about believers\nand their prolific life systems, Allah says: \u0153Do you not see how Allah compares\na good word (system or ideology) to a good tree? Its root is firm and its\nbranches reach the sky; it yields its fruits in every season by Allah’s leave.\nAllah cites these examples for men so that they may learn a lesson from them\u009d\n(Ibrahim, 24-25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allah concludes:\n\u0153Allah will establish in strength those who believe with the Word that stands\nfirm in this world and in the Hereafter; but Allah will leave to stray those who\ndo wrong. Allah does what He wills\u009d (Ibrahim, 27).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings\nbe upon him) said: \u0153Four things are part of happiness:\na righteous wife, a spacious abode, a good neighbour and a comfortable mount.\nAnd four things are part of misery: a bad wife, a bad neighbour, a bad mount\nand a small abode\u009d (Sahih Ibn Hibban). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) either meant some of the important means that cause happiness and misery in both worlds; or he meant some vital aspects of this worlds happiness and misery, which in turn can serve as a platform for accomplishing the same in the Hereafter. ***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Spahic Omer According to a song in Disneys 1991 film Beauty and the Beast, \u0153life is so unnerving for a servant whos not serving.\u009d… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":137006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,11,8,21,24],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[12,134,111,5],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/getty_881350774_405272.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137005"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137005"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137018,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137005\/revisions\/137018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/137006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}