Absolute happiness

Post date: Feb 15, 2011 9:37:31 PM

Is there any such thing as 'absolute happiness'? I don't think such a concept exists. Happiness is always relative.

At least the kind of happiness which people get by fulfillment of desire for money and physical assets. This happiness is always relative and short-lived.

I see examples of it almost every day.

One recent example... the story goes like this:

He used to work in a small firm getting paid x, he was happy and expecting to earn some amount y after a few years.

But He got a new offer and joined this big firm in a different industry with a nice increment of 30%, so he started getting x+.3x now, he was delighted with it.

After a few weeks... He realized that almost everyone in this new big firm gets more than x+.3x

He started feeling that he is underpaid, He is worth more, He should get paid more, He is not getting fair value for his work etc

Six months later he got his bonus letter when his boss asked him 'are you happy?' he said 'yes, the number looks fine to me.'

He never got any bonus from his previous employer and now including bonus, his salary for the year was more than y, which he was expecting to earn after a few years.

But after 15 days...

During this time, he again realized that everyone got big bonuses in this new firm!

He got the net bonus amount (after taxes) deposited in his account... after-tax deduction, which was less than the amount on bonus letter and also realizing about everyone else...

...Well, All I heard was he is planning to leave the firm and is looking for a new job.

This is how it works!

People are unhappy not because they are not happy, but they are unhappy because everyone else around them look happier!