You start off very nicely. But then you start building your theory and trying to fit everything into your theory. You also start jumping to conclusions, like yo

You start off very nicely. But then you start building your theory and trying to fit everything into your theory. You also start jumping to conclusions, like you initially say others do. I sort of think we need to make our own definitions of happiness and success and unhappiness. We cannot rely on other definitions since as you correctly say: we have no way of knowing if others are really happy. Most people often are running from one momentary pleasure to another and calling that happiness, IMHO. Some of your conclusions are that one needs stress to be happy when relief comes, one cannot be happy when alone for long times etc. These are all statements with nothing behind it other than common perceptions. Another one is that you cannot be happy doing nothing. Have you ever looked inside you to see why. What's lacking right now, that you need to do something. What is that something adding to you ? Don;t just answer back, look inside, keep examining till clarity comes. If you need to do things to be happy, then your general state is not a happy one. You rise out of a bored state for moments of relief and then sink back into the same dull state ? What about the opposite? That you are happy as you are, whether doing anything or not. You could momentary slip to unhappiness or discomfort (hearing bad news, a tragedy) but then you are back to your normal happy state. Is that not better ? Are you/we unhappy doing nothing, because you've/we've been taught to believe that one is unhappy unless doing something exciting ? Are unhappiness/happiness even real, or just concepts we've been taught and accepted ? Without such concepts and beliefs, if we aren't running after happiness in some future, then how are we ? Try this out. Cheers!