Why is happiness so elusive?
Does our happiness shrink the more we chase after it?
There once was a mythical beast that drove dozens of hunters deep into the forest in search of it. This beast had long powerful tusks that were highly prized in the marketplace. And what was special about this beast was that once you killed it and cut off its tusks, it would magically come back to life.
One day, an unsuspecting hunter stumbled upon this mythical creature as it was hiding in the ravine. Immediately he lunged forward and plunged his spear deep into the beast’s vulnerable hide. It let out an ear-splitting squeal and then passed out cold. The hunter hastily began to saw off its two gleaming tusks and secured them to his bag. And sure enough, there was a bright flash of light and this creature reappeared with a brand new set of tusks. Instantly it bolted deep into the forest while letting out a series of high pitch squeals and low rumbling grunts.
After rubbing the shock and amazement out of his eyes, the hunter hastily scurried after the beast. Once again he was able to slay it and recapture another set of its prized tusks. But to his astonishment, they were only half the size of the original ones. Before he could understand what was happening, the beast reappeared with a flash of light and the chase resumed.
Over and over again, the hunter caught and slayed this same beast. But it kept shrinking and shrinking each time, till it was finally the size of his palm. And its small little tusks were now of no value if he were to sell it in the marketplace.
You see, this mythical hunt actually represents our pursuit of happiness. And each time we are able to hunt down happiness by aligning the present reality with our expectations, we feel a momentary jolt of bliss. But once this feeling wears off, something strange happens. Our expectations suddenly expands. And even if we were able to recapture the same reality we were chasing after before, the level of happiness we will now experience will surprisingly shrink. This law of diminishing returns will continue over and over again, until one day… capturing that same reality will only lead to the smallest ounces of happiness being felt.
Do you agree with this strange phenomena?
