We all know what contentment means–or at least we think we do. It is such a simple concept. To be content is to be happy with what one has, to look upon his or her life and feel no envy, no bitterness, but simply a calm acceptance of what is and an elation of all the blessings therein. It is the goal of every human being, whether they know it or not, because the only reason we strive forward is because we see our present state as being not enough, of being insufficient to our ambitions–we see something in the future, in potentiality, that draws us. And in the fruition of that glittering image, that target on the horizon, is contentment–knowing that we have done what we set out to do, that we did well.

But in this day and age our view of what is enough has changed. The world is a small place filled with big and in most cases irrelevant things, and the more we are bombarded with the messages of society and the material desires therein, the more we desire to shore up against our lives. People chase riches, fame, possessions–all fine things, when pursued properly–but the problem is when one ties their happiness to the attainment of these things. Thus, as long as we do not have them, we will not truly be happy, only because we have made ourselves believe that to be the case.

“Any man,” says Epicurus, “who does not think that what he has is more than ample, is an unhappy man, even if he is the master of the whole world.”

What difference does it make what your position in life is if you dislike it yourself? It is never enough.

The Roman philosopher, Seneca, often made the case in his letters against lavish living and the tying of contentment to transient pleasures that had swept over the Roman people. It was clear to him then, as it is to us today, that relying on such things for happiness is like building a house on sand.

“What fortune has made yours is not your own.”

It can be taken away in an instant. And all you will have left is yourself. What, then, is the true place to build the foundations of happiness?

“What you have to understand is that thatch makes a person just as good a roof as gold does . . . Reflect that nothing merits admiration except the spirit . . .”

It is in the spirit, and the mind, that happiness is attained (as many people say nowadays, it is a conscious decision one has to make daily). It need not be dependent on what is beyond it. There have been happy people in the worst of places, and miserable people in the best. Under thatch roofs laughter, under golden roofs despair, and vice versa; mere things, mere objects, these fickle distractions away from the true measure of our humanity, are ultimately powerless. But we have been sold a bill of goods that says otherwise. We grow up in a society that praises these things, while good character and a sound mind are given only passing glances. One needs to go against the tide. And, more importantly, one must not live for things along, but for others.

“There is no enjoying the possession of anything unless one has someone to share it with.”

So in this world of distractions, of material pleasures and illusions of what the good life really is, we must remember that lasting happiness is something one possesses irrespective of their circumstances and access to worldly pleasures. Seneca puts it well in his own words to himself:

“Such pleasures are insubstantial and unreliable; even if they don’t do one any harm, they’re fleeting in character. Look around for some enduring good instead. And nothing answers this description except what the spirit discovers for itself within itself. A good character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness. Even if some obstacle to this comes on the scene, its appearance is only to be compared to that of clouds which drift in front of the sun without ever defeating its light.”

In the pursuit of wisdom, of cultivating a sound mind, is the true understanding of what contentment really is–and how to live a happy life with what you already have. A foolish person who ties all of his happiness to that which will never return it will suffer all his life without ever having tasted true contentment.

“Only the wise man is content with what is his. All foolishness suffers the burden of dissatisfaction with itself.”

Let us not be foolish. Let us not suffer this dissatisfaction with our own poor mindsets and unsound minds. Instead, let us pursue wisdom, and cultivate the character which derives contentment from within. When we do this, life will be fuller, and all we set out to do will glow all the more. For when one his happy before attaining a goal, all the more will that goal be drawn towards him. Success, the good life, all of it flows to towards the one who is first good within–in mind, body, soul. The world is a reflection of you, after all. Be what you want to see in that mirror.

Keep going . . .