All of us without exception do whatever we must to be happy. What makes us happy, however, can vary to such an extent that there is no one way that leads to happiness.

What is happiness for one can be misery for another. There are those who are happy running long distances. That can be torture for others. Some are happiest when they are jumping out of airplanes. Most of us would be horrified to have to do the same.

Many of us find happiness in acquiring things. What things? Just about anything. Our idea of happiness is to have as much as we possibly can. The more the better.

There are those who earn a lot and who find their happiness in spending. We call it the “shop till I drop” syndrome. Spend mostly on things that are not at all necessary. The poor don’t shop. They don’t have enough to do that. Instead they try to get along with only the necessity. No shopping, just the same basic items over and over again.

The shoppers are those who have more than enough for the basics. They are the ones who keep acquiring as their incomes rise. They don’t save much because saving gives them no pleasure at all. They run their expenses close to the line. Earn this much, spend this much. Little is put away for a rainy day.

Most what is in the homes of those who have more than they need is utterly unnecessary. So much of it could be thrown out without missing out on life.

Somehow though, people look for happiness in having more and more. They look for security, affirmation and recognition in amassing as much as possible.

That wouldn’t be such a bad idea except that the more these people have; the more they want. They can never seem to be satisfied with what they have. Theirs is an insatiable appetite for more.

Perhaps this is why the level of happiness among the rich isn’t greater than among those with less, even though one needs to have enough of the basics to attain a measure of happiness. When I was a kid, I never had much of anything, but I had a lot of happiness. Life was simple, but there were countless happy moments. I would be lying to you if I told you that our relative poverty caused me to be unhappy.

Thomas Merton had some words of wisdom on the subject. “There are various ways of being happy, and every man has the capacity to make his life what it needs to be to have a reasonable amount of peace in it. Why then do we persecute ourselves with illusory demands, never content until we feel we have conformed to some standard of happiness that is not good for us only, but for EVERYONE? Why can we not be content with the secret gift of happiness that God offers us, without consulting the rest of the world? Why do we insist, rather, on a happiness that is approved by the magazines and TV?

Perhaps because we do not believe in a happiness that is given to us for free. We do not think we can be happy with a happiness that has no price tag on it. If we are fools enough to remain at the mercy of the people who want to sell us happiness, it will be impossible to be content with anything. How would they profit if we became content… you are of no use in an affluent society unless you are always just to grasp what you never have

We can find happiness and contentment in what we have and what is given to us for free like a blazing sunset, a flower and the love and affection of someone who cares.