Marcel Proust searched for lost time (it took him 7 volumes, 4300 pages, 1,250,000 words, and 18 years). Victor Frankl searched for meaning (and found it in a fish head that was floating in a bowl of soup). Erich Fromm searched for the link between freedom and happiness (and discovered the building blocks for a sane society).
But it was Aristotle who explains why they were searching in the first place: "understanding is extremely pleasant, not just for philosophers, but for others, too."* Which is another way of saying that happiness is within reach for each of us, no matter who we are, where we live, or how much money we have. It simply depends on where we choose to look, and how much effort we are willing to expend.
In today's world of immediate gratification and shortcuts, where meals, love, and answers are a mere keyboard click, personality test, or Google search away, we are left with more choices to satisfy our needs, but fewer opportunities to discover our desires. We have to work that much harder to create meaning in our lives.
If happiness is related to our individual exploration and discovery,
what do you search for?
