I haven't explored this idea much but would like to open a discussion to it.

Happiness.

85 years ago, tangible happiness meant that my great-grandfather's farm would produce a crop. That he was healthy enough to harvest that crop and that his family would be sustained.

In northern Texas, the dust bowl had occurred meaning that a significant drought had negatively effected my great-grandfather's livelihood and by extension, happiness.

Now by this story I don't mean that my great-grandfather is just a farmer or just a father and husband. Those roles had pressure for sure.

He saw his situation, leveraged the outcomes and decided to move his family to Dallas.

He learned a new trade which was plumbing at 40 and founded his own plumbing supply business at 70.

He died at 75 after missing work for a week. Where his sons picked up.

People described him as jovial and creative. A fair negotiator and a fierce friend. He'd ask his children to read to him because he was illiterate (what we found out later was dyslexia and people gave up on him in school). He enjoyed stories about space and the stars. He loved planes.

What looked like a stupid orphan from southern Oklahoma fathered 7 children, 12 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. 3 of which became pilots.

What am I trying to say?

I think people in general have a low ceiling of happiness and once that is fulfilled they think their happiness is the problem.

No not at all, most of us have lived a happy existence.

If anything we have over-reached our happiness and attributed it to something else.

"I'm not happy until I get the job I want"

"I'm not happy until I get "

We're living in a time where all of our needs are met and yet we are miserable.

Maybe happiness is just the starting line? Maybe we need challenge and conflict to be fullfilled.

Maybe the ceiling for happiness is lower than we think but our expectations are skyscrapers