"A Solid Core of Character" by G.

We all want to be happy. We work hard to make enough money to live, and maybe a little extra. We pour our efforts into fufilling our dreams, and getting what we want. All this in the name of happiness. So why is it, though all this force and effort, that many of us still end up being unhappy? Divorces, breakups, depression, thearpists; dare I say Jerry Springer? Dysfunction seems to have penetrated society with it's twisted claws. Maybe the problem is that we try so hard to achieve these material and external things, when what we always wanted was already inside.

I guess it never occurred to me that finding happiness wasn't a matter of working hard to get it, but letting it out of the chains we've placed on it ourselves. It's about pouring effort into improving the intangible and to invest in what is untouchable; ourselves. No one can take away our good character and our kind deeds. Material things can come and go with the wind, that dead end job will keep you alive but chain your soul to the desk and trying to control things that aren't really in our power will always lead to frustration. What does one do?

The solution is to stop searching for something that's already dormant inside ourselves. It seems like the people who are less attached to the material and non-permanent are happier and experience a greater sense of well-being. A man with a kind and generous soul is worth more than ten selfish ones. Character cannot be bought or stolen; it is one of the few things you have complete and utter control over. A strong inner self is a treasure beyond value; an achievement you can never lose. Happiness will never come from the external; it can only emerge from within.