Are some people not meant to be happy?

True story from 1980's : a widower with 3 kids and $20k annual salary described how his family feasts on meals like royalty in their house, take vacations in their station wagon, or pull their sailboat with their truck to the nearby lake, etc..., in short, enjoyed life. A childless couple with annual income of $70k were lamenting their predicament, complaining how they are so poor they only have one brand new Mercedes with impossible payments, had to scale back eating at fancy restaurants down to every other day, complaint after complaint after complaint... The widower lived in a modest house, not a mansion, owned inexpensive 3 used cars in working conditions (sailboat was also used), purchased food in bulk or on sale, froze it for months on end then would take out bits and cook them at home, etc...

We live in a world in which even minimum wage can pay for a decent bachelor pad for a single individual, afford plenty of food, a car, even leave money on the side; we live in a society where taking strolls through the park in peace can refresh more so than tuning into gossip or whatever... We also live in a culture where people spend money for a breakfast at a fast food joint that could have afforded several days worth of nutritious raw ingredients to cook three meals a day at home; a culture shoving latest and pricy gadgets down our throats we not only often don't need, but even come to realize they do not satisfy.

Whether people are or are not meant to be happy in general, most often it comes down to poor choices thanks in part to the dysfunctional environments in which we are raised, which prepare us for flaming failure when the hyped up dream they wiggle before us is based upon unattainable illusions which often lead individuals into apathy, cynicism, even despair. Awareness of alternatives and the courage not to follow the crowd into typical disaster, helps transition towards contentment in life in spite one's meager circumstances in life. I once knew a retired poor old guy living in an ordinary shack in a small town, with humble furnishings, enjoying taking strolls down the mainstreet and chatting with neighbors, leading a quiet unassuming humble life on the equivalent of less than minimum wage income - upon his death turns out he had millions in the bank, but, they weren't the source of his happiness, living life each day simply and authentically did. My two cents. -Pat

Happiness is just a choice.

Many get confused and chase money thinking that it will make them happy.

It often just brings more problems.

Lesbian actually means someone from the island of Lesbos. No joke. Look it up. I think some chick from Lesbos wrote love letters to other chicks or something like that. I don't really remember. Hence, gay women being called lesbians. It sounds funny, but it's true.

Big time, I know many people who have no chance to be anything close to happy. They are toxic even to their unfortunate spouses. It's best to avoid these people like the plague..

Happiness is simply a Choice,
it is A State of Being, A State of Mind.

Everything else you like and enjoy in Life
Enhances your happiness...

We have Control over our Attitude
It is not what happens to you in Life
It is How you Deal with What happens to you which counts...

Once you can grasp and implement this concept...
No matter what is happening in your Life
You are changed for the better...I Know.

The only way you find out
what you Like or what you want to do
is to Try it.

That's interesting, I often wonder the same thing about myself, like if I was born in the wrong country or something lol. I definitely don't identify with the American dream. As George Carlin said, you have to be asleep to believe it haha. As far as happiness, I can't say I have all the answers, I'm still pretty young and still struggling to figure life out myself. People like KRS-One or the Dalai Lama would say that happiness comes from finding what it is that brings you peace. What brings you joy, what do you enjoy doing? And the next step after that would be to find a way to apply that to helping the community, the rest of humanity, etc.

Now *MY* opinion is that while happiness is the general goal of most people, for some people, their path may not necessarily be one of happiness. Some people's lives may lead them down a path of hardship and sacrifice. Some people's path may lead them to be involved in things like war or sickness or famine. In the end, life is a struggle, and from what I gather not everybody comes to a happy end. It all depends on how you want to spend your life, what you want to dedicate and devote yourself to. For some that's a happier pursuit, and for some it's a not-so-happy struggle.

Well don't think too much, just contribute to the society, like working hard in school/college to get good grades, then get a better job and work hard for it to earn good money.
After years of hard work, you will receive good things(you will see it at the end :) )
work hard in school/college, work hard to earn money, take good care of yourself and your family, spend time with your friends, then good things will come :) (a happy ending lies in doing good work, be humble and do morally good things on earth)
find subjects you like, get a job that suits you, go out with friends, facebook whatever...
I hope this helps to work it out for you. Good luck, buddy :)

I think, May be, Happy will be There, While We Forget to Think About the Word, "HAPPY".

They are only not happy by their own making- it is a choice.Happiness is the way to a successful life,, not the end result after any certain milestone is reached. It`s not to see and you will believe- it`s to believe and you will see. :)