Humans are constantly creating things. The urge to create is inborn in human beings. Humans are creating things for their happiness, enjoyment, comfort, and survival. The common thread in all human-made things is happiness.
There is a vast field of music and art and literature. One can devote one’s entire life to any of them and be supremely happy. Humans have made some things expressly for happiness—games and sports, food and drinks, TV and motorcars, ships, and planes. And, of course, there is money and all the things and services one could buy with it.
A single genre of literature, a single instrument of music, and a single school of dancing, are enough to fill us with happiness. We know of persons who have made a single aspect of the world their passion and devoted their entire life to it and derived success and happiness out of it. It may be bird watching, white water rafting, tennis, football, poetry, or films. In fact, life is too short to enjoy all the happiness it offers to us through all its aspects. The problem is not that there is not enough happiness in the world. But it is the opposite. There is too much of it.
Fine arts, whether it is poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction, painting, music, or dance, has the power to engross us and make us infinitely happy. In fact, one may live in the world of fine arts and be ever happy. I am perfectly happy sitting under a quiet bower beside a calm river under the serene sky with a book in hand or lying in the bed under a cozy quilt on a rainy day listening to great classics.
Take, for example, literature. It gives mental pleasure that is superior to worldly pleasure. It does not require external favourable conditions, except a book. There are many books in the world that I consider everybody must-read. It is not necessary that one reads only the best or the most serious books only. One can take the occasional bad books with good books. As a starter, I would recommend that you go to your neighborhood library, and get a good book according to your taste. It need not necessarily be serious literature. Get a detective novel or romance book or even comics. In the evening cozily settle down in the bed or sofa and read. Maybe next week read another book. Once the habit is formed try to read serious literature. Make reading a lifelong habit.
I find sports a great source of happiness. You derive great happiness and peace of mind playing any game. You also get exercise which is good for your body. But there is another benefit. While you are playing your mind is far away from worldly problems. You don’t think of them while you play. I believe that playing is a sort of meditation.
“The secret of happiness is this: let your interest be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile”—Bertrand Russell.
