Happiness – what is it?  Am I happy?  How is happiness developed?  What role does the church, the church’s community, my personal faith play in happiness?  What interferes with happiness?  How can I overcome those interferences?  What role does my past experiences play in my happiness? What role does the external world – politics, family life, economic conditions, personality play in my happiness?  These are a few of the questions that I want to address as I write about happiness.

Happiness I suspect varies greatly from person to person in many ways, but also, I suspect some common factors are present in all who are happy.  What might be some of those factors?  Satisfaction, socialization, health, connection with positive forces, helping others, loving others, being loved, feeling useful, making contributions – these are some of the factors I suspect are common to us that help us to be happy.

Am I happy? Yes and no to be honest.  Mostly I feel I am happy but then I must think that it would be very unusual, perhaps even counterproductive, to think I am always happy.

Feelings of happiness are created by experiences such as in family and community life.  And as we experience change, happiness feelings can vary.  Surroundings and physical and mental health influence levels of happiness.  I am influenced by these states, so my happiness can vary.  Also, I can influence these experiences and states, so I can affect my happiness.

These experiences, whether I control or not control them, I consider result in one of two happiness categories available to me.  I am calling this first category – sensory happiness.

The second category of happiness, which I call soul or mindful happiness, comes from a different source than through sensory phenomena.  This source of “mindful happiness” comes through a mental state that I need to work towards.  It relates to developing and achieving self-knowledge, wisdom, creativity, and what can be identified as achieving what is called the kingdom of God.  (The kingdom of God is not restricted to any religion or group but does imply a God represented by concepts such as goodness, love of neighbor, righteousness, and others represented in the Christian religion and the teachings of Jesus related to achieving the kingdom of God.)

This second category is always a work in progress – a work of continuing pursuit through one’s life.  It is the work, the becoming where this mindful happiness is found.

Although the first category of happiness is critical in human life, the second category is necessary for complete happiness to be obtained.