metonymy4u

The paradigm for happiness presented by our culture is often of the form: “obtain X and happiness will be the result.” On the X list are often things like cars, money, lovers, houses, extra houses, boats, trips, food, drugs, freedom, rights, democracy, truth, virtue, etc. An alternative perspective, that deserves much more merit than it usually receives, is the idea that emotional balance is a state achievable independently of all of the events on this list. That one can still notice and work for emotional peace even in the absence of all of these things.