Fun Does Not Mean Happiness

Happiness not being the same as fun to me has always been OBVIOUS. I recently showed a very expensive home in a golf course community where the affluent family of four was selling. Nice family, they seemed to have everything. Nice pool, landscaped backyard. I saw photos of the family everywhere. I imagined they went on ski trips, summer vacations, had a jetski in the garage, Dad did golf on Saturday mornings, Soccer Mom, kids getting good grades in school. Why was the house selling? DIVORCE. I thought another clear cut example of fun not equaling happiness.

Money does not buy happiness, it buys pleasures.

 

The irony is most people do not see this, hence why I am talking about it to get you to think.

So many people use materialistic items, consumer goods, travel, cars and houses, to replace actual happiness. Essentially to feel good. It is a huge worldly DISTRACTION in getting to true happiness.

The focus is on materialism rather than seeking true love or seeking what you define as success in life. The problem with FUN is it is "temporary." Happiness, real happiness is in your core, your soul and with the right person or people is PERMANENT. Fun is a distraction with busyness, some have fame, some have money, or both, or power but in the end, IT IS VERY EMPTY.

I know a couple this week frolicking around surfing in the dark sands of Costa Rica "pretending to be happy." Like the SAND beneath their feet, they have no FOUNDATION for happiness, but no doubt, they are having "FUN."

True happiness is built on ROCK. Instead of the fool's gold of fun, you build that rock of happiness with some core things. Without it you are doomed to be like the couple I mentioned in the above showing with shattered lives, children going the way of visitation with each other parent on the weekends, and essentially torn photographs. Those CORE things you need for happiness:

• Complete RESPECT for the other
• TRUST of each other
• HONESTY, completely and totally
• OPEN COMMUNICATION, no withholding of what you are doing and what you want and how you feel
• LOVE of one another, true love as defined in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13
• The ROCK OF GOD as a believer in Him, as the mighty foundation that no storm in life can sweep you away
• GOOD CHARACTER. You say what you mean, you do not have to hide your life under a bushel basket, your words are in alignment with your actions

In contrast to that sad story I told you about that house for sale and the reason why, I visited a man in an Assisted Living Center. His wife came along to see how he was doing. Even though they too had their ups and downs in their marriage, the sparkle in her eye was amazing as she came to give him a trim of his hair and see how he was doing for the week. It was amazing, even though he had dementia there was SUCH HAPPINESS in the room. I looked at my list above and they had all of them.

I do wonder why people pursue the ILLUSION THAT FUN IS HAPPINESS, when true happiness is right there for our taking if we only move toward it. My purpose in writing this is a warning not to fall into that FUN ILLUSION trap. It is NOT GOLD, but only a FOOL would claim it as so. Take the blinders off and know what happiness truly consists of.