The history of happiness didn't begin just a few years ago. It wasn't even a couple of thousand years ago that it began. No one knows the exact time that happiness was first experienced but it is often estimated that happiness began several thousand years ago because of the earliest writings that have been handed down through history. As early as 5,000 BC there are sacred texts known as the Vedas which were written by great sages and which explain the way to find true happiness in life. The Vedas have been the source of the Hindu religion for thousands of years and were even studied by the Buddha himself. What is certain is that happiness has come along with the existence of life itself and only the Supreme Being knows for sure when it all began.

Although nothing is for sure concerning happiness and the history of its origins, we know that there is a sense of happiness that differentiates itself from the material happiness that many people seek out in modern times. Spiritual happiness is something that still lies deep within us and necessarily depends on the perception of the individual who decides whether they want to pursue this or not. Different people can become happy in different ways and there are many spiritual traditions from the Greek to the modern day Islamic traditions which all help people to find the happiness that they are searching for in life.

The history of happiness may vary according to different people but one thing seems to be true, people learn by experience and through mistakes. In many cases, older people actually tend to be happier than younger people because of the fact that they have experienced life already and have learned from their mistakes. They have tried a variety of approaches in life and learned to be successful according to what they do. They have failed at times, yes, but they also learned to stand up and face the world again. This historical experience, for them, has contributed to their ability to be happy and to find the real source of happiness which is actually coming from inside themselves. They may have committed mistakes but they are still here, loving and being loved by the others around them.

A story about happiness may help to illustrate the way history plays such an important role in how we learn to be happier in our lives. There was once a young boy and an apple tree who were friends. The boy would always swing from the branches of the tree, climb all over it, eat the apples and sleet under the tree. These were such happy days but, when the boy got older, he spent less time with the tree and the man only became interested in money. The tree said, ?Take my apples and sell them, these will give you lots of money.? The man did so and the tree was happy. The tree did not see the man for a long time after that. The man grew older, tired of the world and wanted to get away from it. When the tree saw the old man, it said, ?Cut a large trunk out of me and make a boat, it will send you off to different places.? The man did so and the tree was happy. The tree waited again until the time the man, its true friend, would return. Finally, the old man returned but he was too old to play and too tired to pursue any more wealth. The tree said, ?Why don't you just sit down and rest in my shade?? The man did so and the tree was happy.

The story can be understood such that we see ourselves growing older and recognizing that there are trees in our lives which give and are willing to give more and more even if it means releasing a part of themselves to us. Just how many trees in our lives would help us achieve our individual goals and reach our satisfaction in life depends upon us and what we really need to be happy. How many times in life do we take simple things like ?shade? for granted? This reflection may help us realize that it may not be the trees in our lives that bring us happiness but the way we relate to them and take advantage of their gifts. It may be that we need very little in life but it takes us an entire lifetime to realize this simple fact. This may be what history is also showing us and something that, hopefully, many people will recognize sooner rather than later.