Success Happy

What would things be like if we stopped focusing on happiness?

This is a question proposed in Huxley's "Brave New World" and has intriguied me for a good time now. What would our world be like today if people stopped focusing on their happiness and happiness all together? Is happiness something that is required for humans or are we creating a vice for ourself by being so focused on said happiness? What about a world that concentrates on misery instead of happiness?

Public Comments

1. Then we'd all stop focusing on our happiness and we'd all be asking questions about misery! I know I'd NEVER want to imagine a place without happiness and Love. Just Live life to the fullest and make the most of it! P.S. If you ain't loving, then you ain't living :)
2. Let your imagination run rampant about a world without a single smile. Go out today and walk around looking for smiles on people and count the ones you find. For every one you find replace it with a grimace of pain and that will give you an idea of what to expect in a world without happiness. Frankly the world would be a lot worse than that.
3. Life will be very short. Most people will commit suicide before they reach 20.
4. I believe focusing on happiness is a fruitless effort. Happiness is not something that can be found... it is something that will simply come to you once you understand the following... Happiness... To appreciate what is, To create what is not, To provide for what is yet to be. The Creator of Happiness (Book I'm currently writing) The focus on happiness leads to looking to material possessions, money, relationships, and/or drugs. All of those things are dependencies that will come to an end.. once they do end... happiness ends as well. Once people truly know how to appreciate... once they truly understand that they can create whatever they want... and once they provide for something greater than just themselves... They will know happiness. Create, Inspire, Enjoy, -OutsideTheBox
5. The world has already been like that for brief periods of time (for example - WWII). Personally, I say stick to searching for the elusive 'happiness' - it can bring about misery anyway.
6. interesting - as we focus on our individual happiness - adam smith reckoned everything should work out. It doesn't. i think it is this narrow mindedness that has created the current situation. yes we need to chane our values and think about the collective happiness which requires some individual sacrifices so that everthing works out in orderly manner. That's the way I think. EnjOy
7. happiness is such a misty stuff which you cannot focus on . all we can do is to achieve the goal of happiness by working hard for it. No matter what sort of person he/she is, there is always a reason to find happiness that means to be able to feel safe and comfort in mind. my conclusion is we humman beings just can not stop focusing on happiness.
8. why would you want to be miserable? I guess in the middle is OK and were a lot of people are but it is good to be happy and to make others happy. In making others happy you make yourself happy but you should not work just for yourself. That would be selfish.