Is happiness a choice? Can people choose to remain happy? I think that we need to delve deeper into the issue of happiness. Can somebody choose to remain in a Nazi concentration camp? Can somebody remain happy while he is passing through a painful disease? Can somebody remain happy when he is going through a painful breakup? The answer would be "no" by most people. If not, then how can happiness be a choice? In a Nazi concentration camp, there is a threat of death and torture almost every moment, during the painful disease, the body is under a constant pain, and during the break-up, there is a constant emotional pain of separation.
If a person can't remain happy in these situations, that means that the choice of happiness is a myth created by favourable situations. There are two pillars on which the concept of happiness hangs. First, the meaning of life we have made, and second, the circumstances. Different people have given different meanings to life. There is a very wide range of possibilities. It all depends on the level of awareness of consciousness. At the lowest end, somebody may feel that just having food is the purpose of life. On the other extreme, some people may feel that freedom, love, and compassion are the purpose of life. Most people lie somewhere in between. Whatever meaning of life we make, we remain happy as long as circumstances are favourable.
For example, somebody may make the meaning of life around kids, and he remain happy as long as the kids are doing well. In case of any major problem with the kids, such people become sad. Somebody may make meaning of life around recognition, and as long as he gets credit and recognition, he remains happy. Some person makes the meaning of life around positions, and as long as he is able to grab the position they like, they remain happy. Whatever meaning of life is made by a person is always limited and based on ignoring a big chunk of reality. For example, a person whose happiness is centered around his family ignores his extended family, because if we keep extending to distant family members, there would never be an occasion when all the extended family members are happy, and their sadness will affect us. In order to avoid that, we confine ourselves to just the wife, kids, and parents. Similarly, when we make meaning of life around recognition, we ignore what people actually think about us, and are just focused on certain positions and awards.
The problem is that the inner being always craves for freedom and love. Whatever meaning of life we make to remain happy, that has no impact on our inner self. In order to be happy in the outer world, we have to disconnect from our inner being. For example, if a person is connected to his inner being, he will feel the pain of the poor and deprived. His heart will cry while reading about the wars in different parts of the world. He will mourn about the incidents of rape and exploitation. He will not be happy with such a world order where very few have usurped all the powers and wealth, and the majority is deprived even of the basic needs. To remain happy, he will have to mute his soul. He will define the purpose of his life "intelligently" in a very narrow way. The narrower the definition, the greater the disconnection from the inner self. That would result in inauthenticities in the personality. Such people will pretend to be happy, but since the inner self has its own movement, they will never be sure of their happiness. They would always be in a state of perpetual doubt. Some people, like Hitler, may be able to silence the call of their souls, but there will definitely come moments in life when it will no longer be possible to silence the call of the soul.
Choosing happiness means creating a limited definition of life and adhering to it. All the enlightened individuals in this world choose freedom, love, and compassion for their happiness. Buddha could have stayed blissfully within his palace, but he chose to investigate the nature of reality, regardless of the suffering he endured throughout his life. Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Socrates, Jesus Christ, and many other enlightened figures may have chosen a limited meaning of life and maintained happiness throughout their lives. If they could inspire generations, undoubtedly, they could have "intelligently" carved out a meaning of life that kept them happy all their lives. However, they listened to the call of the soul. They understood that the purpose of life is not merely to be happy, but rather to stay connected to the inner self, and when one remains connected to the inner self, they feel the pain of all souls, which fosters compassion. Such a soul cannot seek happiness in an artificial division and will instead work for the well-being of others. The guiding force of their life will be love and compassion, rather than happiness. They would not hesitate to give their life for freedom. Therefore, the people who "intelligently" choose happiness often end up being deprived of love, freedom, and compassion, which are the attributes of the inner self.
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