Thursday, May 20, 2010

pursuit of happiness

"It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit."
-Denis Waitley

There is a lot of truth to this statement.
Very often, it is the journey that brings us the greatest happiness...
the destination becomes less important.
We find happiness in unexpected people, things, and experiences.
And, I found a strange sense of peace in this video.
I actually can't stop watching it.
Besides the obvious bias I have due to it being filmed in Chicago...
I am just insanely drawn to it.
It looks so freeing.
Enjoy...


Pursuit Of Happiness from Nick Brazinsky on Vimeo.

4 comments:

zachary said...

great video:)

Danaconda said...

It's a great quote and it does often apply, but I often struggle with that notion.

You know how when you talk to someone in a relationship, they say, "The chase is half the fun"? They're only saying that because they're currently in the relationship.

Ask someone who went for a girl/guy and failed, then ask them how much fun the pursuit was. The pursuit's only fun if you reach your destination. If you don't reach it, many feel like it's a waste of time wrapped around a big ball of stress.

I understand a lot of people will say, "It was an experience, and every experience is one you can benefit from." I'm one of those people - but that doesn't mean the experience was fun. Just playing devil's advocate :)

emily said...

Danaconda: I like the whole devil's advocate thing. In all honesty, I sit on the fence with this one. On one hand I totally buy into the quote and on the other I am with you in that the pursuit is often shit.

To continue the devil's advocate game...I would argue that you can't use love as an example of pursuing happiness. Yes, you often find happiness in love. BUT...and it is a big but...you should seek happiness in other people. So, the pursuit of happiness should never be a pursuit of love. Happiness does not always equal love. And love certainly does not always happiness.

When I think of happiness, I think of peace and serenity. Happiness is, in fact, a fleeting moment. It is an emotion that comes and goes. So, the pursuit can be greater than that one moment in time.

How about that for a response?

emily said...

editor's note: "you should seek happiness in other people" should have read "you should NOT seek happiness in other people."