Steven R. Hemler - Search No More: The Keys to Truth and Happiness

We all hunger for happiness. This is why we do what we dowe believe it will bring us happiness. We typically seek happiness in money and the things it will buy, in academic achievement or a successful career, in how we look or dress, in sports or hobbies, in being entertained, in parties and socializing, in recreational activities and family relationships.

How often do we try to feel good by satisfying the need for material possessions, the hunger for approval, or our desire for fun? We all feel a temptation to focus our lives on these things. This temptation is based on the belief that the good life is found in satisfying our physical and emotional desires. As shared by my young friend Ben Keast:

Many people of my generation have been lured into the more, more, more! mentality, since now we are surrounded with so much advertising. There are so many people in the world that really believe that the good life is living in a mansion, or having a fancy car, or whatever (there are even reality TV shows about people with all this), and so few people are just happy with what they already have. Moreover, so many people tie their happiness to their self-image, whether it be how much they own to impress others or how they look (especially when it comes to social media).

How often do we tell ourselves that were not happy because we do not have all the things that we should have or that we want to have? So we strive and work to get more nice thingscars, homes, electronic devices, clothesand then we find that these do not satisfy us for long. Thus we strive and strive, and for many people, life becomes a constant quest to acquire more, to attain more, to achieve more.

If we get a good grade, we want a better grade next time. If we get a good job, we want a better job. If we get a promotion, we want the next promotion. When we earn money, we want more money. When we buy something nice, we want to buy something even better. After we get together with friends and family, we cant wait to be with them again. After having fun at one party, we want to have even more fun at the next party. When we reach a goal, the bar is raised and we never feel like we have fully achieved our desire. We keep looking for happiness in what comes next.

I first came to this realization after attending an endless stream of parties and other social events one weekend after another in college. After each weekend, I felt an inner drive to make sure I had parties or other social activities to attend with friends the next weekendbecause being alone with nothing to do on a weekend in college was a dreadful prospect! But I eventually came to realize that seeking happiness in this way just never ends, because after one party must come another, then another, and so on. All this fun was not bringing me true happiness. Once the present party was over, the next was needed in order to have more fun. It just never ends.

Our desires for fun, fame, the esteem of others, material possessions, and our own enjoyment are insistent, constantly clamoring for attention. While they may be worthwhile, seeking to be happy by getting more of these things is not fully satisfying because we can never have enough of them. We always want more pleasure, prestige, popularity, power, possessions, and prosperity.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with having enough possessions to live comfortably or with enjoying good times with friends and family. What we are talking about is when pursuit of these things becomes a major driving force and central purpose in our life. As many people have discovered, the endless pursuit of self-indulgent activities in the hope of finding happiness is not a fulfilling lifestyle. We eventually find that something is missing. As affirmed by author Ravi Zacharias: The real problem is that even pleasure ultimately leaves us empty and unfulfilled. When the pleasure button is pressed incessantly, we are left feeling bewilderingly empty and betrayed. Pleasure without boundaries produces life without purpose.