The Missing Chapter — Happiness And Joy

The Evasive Ether Of Happiness

TLDR:
1. Happiness and joy are different.
2. Eudaemonia has more dimensions and favors than is commonly understood.
3. Eudaemonia is not found, it is cultivated.
4. Emancipation is a composition of at least with these 2 components: encraty and volition.
5. Compassion and passion with a sense of meaning gives human a directed form of transcendence to move forward in life.
6. Meaningful happiness is not merely citing yourself, but deep fulfillment.

Humans have evolved from ancestors who were primarily focused on survival rather than happiness. This evolutionary background explains why humans tend to have a negative bias; our brains are wired to be vigilant for potential dangers in our environment. These emotions of fear and anxiety act as triggers for alertness, keeping us prepared for threats.

This survival mechanism is likely why we don’t observe animals displaying behaviors akin to smiling. Animals remain in a state of constant vigilance, always on the lookout for predators or other dangers. Their primary focus is on survival, which does not leave much room for expressions of happiness as humans understand them.

Expanding on this, it becomes clear that our negative bias and survival instincts are deeply rooted in our biology. For early humans…