The Quest for Happiness

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln The quest for happiness is part of the American psyche, embedded in our cultural DNA. Thomas Jefferson immortalized this sentiment when he penned the Declaration of Independence writing, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Most of us would admit that the energy of our lives is spent in this pursuit of happiness, for ourselves and others. But there is a real question here. Where does happiness come from? How do we obtain it? Is happiness dependent on our external circumstances or is something deeper involved?