Part 1: Find Happiness Through Embracing Its Opposite

Everywhere we look, the world we live in tells us it's our job to be happy, and that being happy is simple. Get rich quick! Lose weight without exercise, just buy our gadget! Find love with just a click! Popular culture suggests the only use for suffering is to have an excuse to drink wine and eat ice cream, then use the emotion to write another blockbuster movie or hit song, and move on.

I think we all know it's not that simple. Sure, the pursuit of happiness is important. It was even one of the driving forces behind the Declaration of Independence. However, it's not everything. I would suggest that in order to appreciate the happiness we have, suffering and pain are a crucial part of life as well – a part we tend to avoid.

Let's look at a painful truth for a moment. Life is suffering. Life brings many pains, disappointment and impossible tasks. We are threatened by the external world and all the dangers it presents us. We are even threatened by our bodies – while they are there to serve us and protect us, pain, anxiety and anger are built into the human body's very operation. They are essential warning signals to alert us to a threat, be it physical or emotional.