Cat Tales: Miscellany and Mischief

July 5 (30DBC)

July 5 30DBC Prompt: Is it better to be happy or simply content? Is there a difference?

I think there is a difference. Contentment has a connotation of rest. You are at rest in whatever situation or with whatever person, place or thing you find yourself. You can be content even in the worst of circumstances if your spirit is at rest in something.

Happiness, on the other hand, has a more active connotation. If I am happy, I am actively pursuing or engaging in something which brings joy to me, such as reading, writing, or eating a delicious ice cream cone.

Whether or not one is better than the other is very much debatable. Happiness, of course, might be preferred, but the ability to be content even in bad circumstances might be more useful and desired. We aren’t always able to pursue the things which bring us joy.

Personally, I think contentment has a more lasting value than happiness, simply because it gives one the ability to persevere and be at peace, even if the world around them is a raging whirlpool of unhappiness.


AlyCatAuthor