TLDR The phrase pursuit of happiness is now interpreted to mean, we should be able to achieve permanent happiness. This is misinterpretation of the original meaning. Are lives achieve purpose from self honesty and overcoming problems. The pursuit of happiness as it is now incorrectly interpreted leads to discontentment and disallusionment.

The American Constitution contains the phrase they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Unfortunately since the 1960s, the phrase pursuit of happiness has been redefined as avoiding reality and inevitably avoiding oneself. Being unhappy is now considered by many to be a mental illness. Being happy, which allegedly is one's optimal state, when taken to an extreme, resembles a drug induced euphoria. The American Constitution had a profound effect on the world's ideas, this redefinition has a profound negative effect on many people. People are now denying reality in an attempt to be happy, this is not what the American founders meant. Our modern society in its pursuit of happiness means they are running away from themselves, which is not what the American founding fathers intended. Let's first examine what the American founding fathers meant when they talked about happiness.

What is happiness?

Happiness - a state of well-being and contentment.

Happiness is synonymous with contentment. Contentment can be defined as a sense of inner peace. That means without inner conflict. This internal state exists somewhere within us, a religious person might call it a soul. A neuroscientist would call it consciousness, which is created by all of the parts of the human brain acting as one. Whether you are a religious person or a neuroscientist, this soul or consciousness comes from within your brain. It is generated internally as opposed to externally.

By contrast, modern Western society teaches that contentment comes from external sources. People who state, I don't want to be surrounded by negativity are saying external circumstances dictate their internal state. Advertising or marketing is an industry which sells products on the premise that purchasing a certain product will change your internal emotional state. Purchase a certain brand of beverage and it is implied that it will change your internal emotional state. Even more amazing, dishwashing liquid or chewing gum can change these internal emotional states. I was intrigued by an advertisement for a chewing gum, its advertisement claimed that chewing it can give one a sense of freedom. With my overactive imagination, I envisioned B1 stealth bombers being loaded with this chewing gum. Then these B1 stealth bombers would swoop down and drop this freedom chewing gum on middle eastern countries. Then there would be millions of happy Arabs chewing this gum with their new found sense of freedom.

In school, we were told repeatedly we should feel blessed for living in a free and prosperous society. Back then, Communism was the boogie man, they lived in a dark place where everyone allegedly was unhappy. Later when I went enjoyed a government paid tour of a war-torn country, I started to question modern Western values. First hand I saw a developed country which had been driven back 300 years. There was no electricity or running water, people were forced to return to a more primitive state. When I looked beyond the broken buildings and rubble, I asked myself, are these people less happy than Westerners? The answer I arrived at is no. That modern Western society has extremely high rates of youth suicide, reflects a discontented society. What has caused this discontentment?

When the American founding fathers talked about the pursuit of happiness, what did they mean? Pursuit means something which you are attempting to obtain. The American founding fathers were pragmatic, by pursuing this happiness, they didn't mean one should avoid reality. Also by using the word pursuit, they knew that it wasn’t an achievable goal but it is something one should strive for. That contentment is achieved, not by actually achieving the state of happiness but by striving for it. Somehow the pursuit of happiness/contentment turned into an escape from reality.

The pursuit of happiness has become escaping reality to escape oneself

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