*Photo credited to Grodden of Deviantart.

What makes us happy? Is it the material wealth? The love of people around us? Or the inner happiness?

I once remembered the time when I took my language exam, one of the questions asked by the Kiwi interviewer was, “What is happiness for you?”. I was quite struck with the question and thought quickly.

At that time, I was struggling for my own happiness. I wanted to be happy. But my answer was, “Happiness for me is doing the things that I want without hurting other people.”

Indeed, we can be happy if we want to. We can do the things we want and be happy with that. But can we really be happy if we knew we’ve hurt other people in the process?

As years passed, I realized that happiness doesn’t revolve on material wealth, being adored and loved by the people that mattered to you but to have inner happiness. The former only gives temporary happiness while the latter gives total happiness.

And by achieving inner happiness, we should learn to forgive and love others, even our enemies. It may be hard at first, but through God’s enlightenment and constant sincere prayer, we will achieve it. We will learn to forgive. And when we do, we will achieve the kind of happiness that we longed for.

And because I want to be happy. I forgive those who had wronged me. And I asked for forgiveness to whom I have hurt. Anger and hatred does hinder us from being happy.