I have found out something curious. The happiest people are not the ones who had it easiest, but ones who overcame serious challenges in their lives. I have heard it said that love is a harsher thing than mere kindness. What is extended is a combination of compassion and challenge. The problems that one has faced are acknowledged and dealt with. Then one has to apply himself and make things happen in the world. I suppose after one has survived a Holocaust anything is an improvement and anything is a blessing. People are happy that they are not going through difficulties any more. People are proud of themselves for having overcome the difficulties. People are happy that it is over, and they are happy that they have survived it intact. One claim being made about the former Obama administration is that it tried to be everyone's mommy and shield people from life's challenges. When people have to choose between sending the grandfather to the hospital and sending the son to college, that does not qualify as legitimate challenges. Here someone is being robbed of opportunity; and it does not take “ObamaMama” to see that. It is important that people be able to have an affordable health care, and I don't care how it is done for as long as it is done. Whereas there are challenges that are good. Some things that happen to us improve us, and we get stronger and wiser by facing them. And when it is over we are happy. So it is valid that there be a healthy dose of challenge in people's lives, whether it come from within or from without. At the same time this has to be balanced with compassion. And then people become happy for real.
I don't appreciate any of the challenges I've had in my life, they don't make me more peaceful at all. In fact when I think about them it still gets me upset. I am not happier now because I don't have that challenge, I'd probably be happier if it had never happened to me in the first place. I have to disagree with your post.
From my own experiences I would say that my highest levels of Shalom - peace of mind did in fact come after getting through some pretty serious challenges. Back around 1990 I began to pray for wisdom and correction from Messiah Yeshua - Jesus...... and I got it....... and where I am now is so very much better than where I was at back in 1989.
Challenges make you stronger and more capable of dealing with change... suppose you are happier if you overcome these challenges and are more capable of accepting change. A challenge not overcome is something that you do not learn from and have to process mentally or it will hamper you in future. What makes you happy is; 1. When your self image is based on being a good person... if it's based on money or skill etc then you will completely lose yourself once those things are gone. Enter the..I don't know who I am... or I'm trying to find myself... 2. You are responsible for your own happiness, other people are not responsible for making you happy. So if you blame others for your unhappiness go back to challenges not solved/overcome in the first paragraph.
