Life has so many paradoxes and difficult situations to understand that many texts and investigations would be written to try to tackle them. From ancient times poets and famous people have sung to life and especially to the mental, emotional and even physical state of happiness, because along the way every individual yearns for that moment or moments.
Even the Bible, one of the most read and translated books around the world, sings to happiness, indicating that generosity is a value that fills us with happiness "… More blessed is giving than receiving" (Reina, Valera; 1960, 1289 p) and even exhorts us to lead a simple life so as not to suffocate ourselves with the search for material possessions, "So having sustenance and shelter, let us be content with this" (Reina, Valera; 1960, 1383 p).
However, happiness has been described as a more or less continuous and permanent feeling of well-being or fulfillment that is composed of the satisfaction of basic needs until self-realization.
Abraham Maslow in 1943 created the Theory on Human Motivation or Hierarchy of Human Needs, where after having satisfied the "deficit or primordial needs", the "needs of self-realization or of being" are a continuous driving force, because only when meet physiological, security and membership needs, recognition and self-actualization can be achieved.
The dividing thread of life and death is very thin because it is the individual's choice to decide when to live life accordingly, otherwise the safest process that humanity has is death and we must all prepare for this state.
Living is much more than existing but living fully every second that God gives us, avoiding wasting time on trifles and all the potential that can be offered to society. This essay will attempt to determine the ways of living life fully and the ways in which the wisdom of the past impacts us today. Also, understand what differentiates a life well lived from any worker passionate about what he likes to do every day and an outstanding character.
Also, it is intended to know the approach of science and its impact on humanity, being aware that time changes or evolves.
The cycles of rest, production, consumption and social interaction are essential elements of how we live life, as well as our five senses.
The cycles of rest, production, consumption and social interaction are essential elements of how we live life, as well as our five senses (Csikszentmihalyi, M., 14p). It is not strange to see historically that we have not changed much since time immemorial compared to the present time.
The circumstances of birth are events that permanently mark the course of life. Inevitably, despite the fact that we do not live in a caste society where we cannot ascend in the social hierarchy, it is clear that, in Latin America through study and other circumstances, they can improve social status and therefore the quality of life.
It is curious, that day by day we observe or know many people, they give us a general impression of a topic, but we completely ignore the reality with all its problems of each individual (which are very particular and do not necessarily resemble another).
To be able to live life fully we have to experience many events that may or may not mark a stage of existence, we achieve it thanks to doing, feeling and thinking. A factor of weight is the distribution and use of time throughout life.
From many perspectives, the topic of time can be approached, but some authors divide time according to the activities to be carried out: productive activities (work, study, eat, speak, etc.), maintenance activities (housework, eating, personal hygiene), driving, etc.) and leisure activities (television, radio, resting, lazing, etc.).
Finding out the ways people spend their time today is based on surveys, polls, and reports of time use.
Some psychologists consider nine moods almost universal, but especially anyone can distinguish positive and negative emotions. But more interesting is the fact that many emotions we can fake or manipulate them, complicating knowing the emotion in its splendor.
Many thinkers of antiquity considered happiness as an end to the fullness of life, but we have the example of different people who have turned to wealth, health or fame as the universal panacea for happiness.
It is known to all that many famous artists having money and fame do not find that emotional state that leads them to full satisfaction and many fall into addictions and even suicide.
Taking a bit of history, Karl Marx tells us "about self-deception" about happiness, Jean Paul Sartre argued that people live with a "false conscience" and claim, even before themselves, that they live in the best of worlds and " Michel Foucault and the postmoderns have made it clear that what people tell us does not reflect real events, but only a narrative style, a way of speaking that refers only to itself ”(Csikszentmihalyi, M., 30 p).
But sadly, most people today associate material well-being and happiness. This phenomenon leads us to find individuals on autopilot who are not able to enjoy every second of life because they consider that happiness is in having a good house or car, they wear themselves out in their jobs to achieve it and when they find old age They conclude that they missed out on living life and enjoying the family because they spent it wearing down the material.
Therefore, it is recommended to work or carry out activities aimed at working for happiness and above all, staying motivated to achieve our goals.
Evaluating our thoughts, beyond believing that in an IQ value, allows us to be aware of our ideas and even rumination.
For the decade of the 80s, the psychologist Howard Gardner created the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, where intelligence is conceived as a set of abilities and skills (linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, corporal, intrapersonal, interpersonal intelligence, naturalist) who work in harmony or parallel and shape the full potential of the individual.
Gardner has popularized the issue of multiple intelligences that has broken the paradigm that intelligence is synonymous with a numerical value or the ability to do or solve something. Try to consider innate talents, abilities and skills such as music, kinesthetic ability, the art of speaking or listening, among other aspects.
Later, Martin Seligman the father of Positive Psychology, who studies happiness, says that "the happiest people are extremely sociable and, for the most part, married". But it influences the type of relationship that is in the marriage bond, because instead of becoming a bond of calm and harmony for the couple, it can become a real battlefield.
In my opinion, anyone who starts a love relationship with a view to marrying or living in free union and pretends that the bond of marriage is the panacea or solution to find happiness, ends up crashing with reality. Marriage has ups and downs, you must learn to live with it and mature to strengthen the relationship… without hesitation there is no perfect man or woman. It is sad to see the high divorce rates and free union relationships come to an end due to the inability to love and respect yourself.
Traditionally, there has always been an interest in the study of sadness, which is a symptom of depression, anxiety, and other related mental illnesses, but a trend has emerged that seeks to understand the impact of happiness on people's lives.
Neurosciences have tried to locate in the brain the areas and substances related to happiness, for example, neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and others are related to the feeling of well-being, fullness, stimulation and even euphoria. The amygdala, that very primitive but at the same time organ, is in charge of the "formation and storage of memories associated with emotional events". While, the hypothalamus and frontal lobe are responsible for processing discernment and reason. Finally, structures and various substances are the calls to classify a situation as good or bad.
A study by Dan Gilbert of Harvard “compared the brains of paraplegic people with that of others who had won the lottery. He discovered that, after two years, the level of personal satisfaction was the same ”(Vieira, M., Revista Ciencia, 2018). The irony of both situations is that the diminished euphoria had given way to monotony and the mitigation of personal problems.
“We know that 75 percent of people are happy again up to two years after suffering major trauma. It is as if the mind has an immune system, "says Gilbert.
There is no marked difference between having a lot or a little, in relation to happiness, having the common or priority needs satisfied, there is no difference. This was concluded by the Nobel Prize in Economics, Daniel Kahneman when he compared the average earnings of American citizens and verified that they do not influence happiness.
From another point of view, Tal Ben-Shahar in his book Practice happiness, offers us a diary with 50 weeks to carry out various activities. Psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough conducted a series of experiments in which people would write at least five things a day for which they had to be thanked. "It turns out that spending one or two minutes a day expressing the gratitude a person feels for the events of his life can have notable positive consequences" (Ben-Shahar, 10 p).
In addition, it recommends establishing new routines to break pre-existing schemes, improve health through frequent physical exercise, be objective when balancing work versus leisure, value important things, the conviction of the relationship between personal and collective good, "capacity to overcome obstacles ", enjoy every second of life, learn from the good and not so good, appreciate those around me, learn to overcome problems and not vice versa, accept reality as it comes, know when to reduce or dedicate more time, timely modifying behavior, adequately expressing emotions, leading by example, valuing yourself with the virtues and defects, among other aspects.
A fundamental aspect that Nathaniel Branden considers, considered by many to be the father of the self-esteem movement, is the integrity that each individual owes. Integrity, according to the RAE is the "quality of integrity or the pure condition of virgins"; it has to do with our being educated, blameless, jealous guardians of our own convictions and capable or with the authority to decide or resolve for ourselves issues related to his person. Therefore, when we have strengthened and practical the cyclical relationship of self-esteem and integrity we can be consistent with our words and actions.
We can agree with Ben-Shahar, in the fact that there are happy events or as Enrique Iglesias' song “a religious experience” sings, that marks our existence and is conceived as that short-term sensation, but that lasts in our memory and heart for our existence. For example, when a mother meets her child for the first time, it constitutes a feeling and memory that transforms her perception of reality and her beliefs from all areas.
Each of the authors of the Bible, that sacred book that most of us respect, invites us to be happy by strengthening our spirituality and stop worrying about food, clothing or home when they explain that God gives food to all animals and dresses to the nature of its maximum splendor. But this does not mean that we do not have to work for our needs, because Adam was condemned to eat with "the sweat of his face."
Self-esteem must be developed and practiced at every stage of our life and will provide us with the tools to be resilient in the face of any adversity. The positive adaptation we have to life's changes and problems will allow us to live life with greater happiness.
Also, we cannot perpetuate the idea that marriage is the union that will lead us to happiness, because those who believe it will end up disappointed or being part of statistics of divorced singles looking for "the better half that will give them happiness."
It has a cyclical effect, when we are generous or enjoy making others happy, our own happiness is strengthened. For that reason, it is not unusual to see many people dedicate their lives to philanthropic or religious activities on behalf of others, as their lives change and are filled with happiness.
We can conclude that happiness "is not a destination, but a path" that everyone must build. It ceases to be a utopia, when we become the active protagonists in the daily life of carrying out activities and changes that strengthen that feeling of well-being and that do not occur to us at the end of our days, the common reproaches of "if I had done…"
