The greatest conundrum of modern life is that we don’t become happy by pursuing happiness. Harold Kushner talks about this in his evocatively titled book ‘When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough.’ ”You become happy by living a life that means something,’ he says. The happiest people you know are probably not the richest or the most successful, and probably not the ones who spent most time reading the latest books on how to be happy and fulfilled. The happiest people are those who work hard at being honourable, kind and generous people. Some wise person put it this way: ‘Happiness is like a butterfly. Chase it and it will elude you. But turn to other things and you’ll find it gently sitting on your shoulder.’
And those other things are the things that enlarge our spirits, not just our possessions.