In the pursuit of happiness

Just reading an old blog entry from a friend who pondered, "Is the pursuit of happiness all about selfishness? Can we achieve happiness without causing pain to others?"

I believe that the answer is "yes" to both questions. Happiness, by definition, is completely subjective and self-centered. True happiness comes only from being honest to one self, and therefore is "all about selfishness". One must disregard all other factors in the pursuit of happiness.

However, at the same time, there is no reason why happiness for one must cause pain for another. While one must entertain the possibility that happiness for two people can be mutually exclusive, a clear example where happiness is synergistic can be found in the traditional notion of a "romantic couple". It remains to be seen (at least for me) whether or not such a notion is entirely accurate or portrays a realistic scenario. More concrete examples can easily be found in the accomplishments of any group of people. Take, for instance, the profound joy and happiness the entire group of scientists and controllers at NASA must have felt on their Mars Rovers' success.

On the other hand, in any type of competition where there are clear winners and losers, happiness to the winner comes at the cost of pain to the losers. Life, I believe, is an eternal struggle - order against chaos at its most fundamental level. So while it might be said that happiness for one must come at a cost to others, considering that life is a constant competition (against death?) - that's a very narrow view precluding the possibility of cooperation, group formation, and team work.