How to achieve happiness? How to define it? Aristotle defines happiness in terms of moderation -- I can see that. Closer to home, I'm learning to reject success as a key to happiness -- too much is left to outside forces, chance, luck, etc. For years I defined myself in terms of seeking success (and without achieving much, in my eyes at least!). Well, lack of success equates to failure. So what do I do with that? I'm re-evaluating everything.
Another issue is that a theory of happiness ought to have a goal that is achievable by everyone. If happiness is only for the successful, then what about us unsuccessful shlubs? So I need a way to achieve happiness that is much more open to everyone.
That's one reason I began to look again at spirituality. Faith can achieve an independent happiness that's portable and detached from success in society. Of course the question is what basis do we have to believe in something like spirituality or God? That's a tough issue. That started my investigation of what it means to "believe", faith as a mental state, and what mental states are.
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