All human beings want happiness, but often have trouble finding it  – Human beings come into the world with certain aspirations; they need to love and be loved; they need to know, and they need to create. And it is the fulfilment of these aspirations that they call happiness. Before they can fulfil their aspirations, however, they need to add something more to what they bring with them, for it is not enough just to want something in order to obtain it.

They want to love and be loved, but they find themselves alone and disappointed. They want to understand everything, and they understand very little and are confused and disorientated. They want to create, and their creations disappoint them. In order to achieve all their aspirations, they are going to have to complete a long apprenticeship under an instructor who is qualified to lead them on the path of true love, true understanding and true creation.

Happiness is a gift that has to be cultivated
All human beings want happiness, but they don’t know how to go about it. They don’t know that there is work to be done and a discipline to be observed in order to obtain it. They think that just because they are here on earth, they only need to eat, drink, sleep, earn a living and bring children into the world, and they should automatically be happy.

But animals do pretty much the same things, so what is the difference? To be on earth is no guarantee of happiness. If you want to be happy, there are a certain number of things you must do… and a certain number of things you must not do. Happiness is like a gift, a talent, and it has to be cultivated.

The elements that nourish happiness belong to the divine world
It is exactly the same as with an artistic talent: if you don’t cultivate it, it will never amount to anything. Even if someone has a tremendous gift for music, painting or dance, for instance, it will never develop into anything worthwhile if they do not work at it seriously every day.

If you want happiness, don’t just sit there and do nothing about it. You must go out and start looking for the elements that nourish it; and as these elements belong to the divine world, that is where you have to look for them. Once you find them, you will love everyone and everything and be loved in return; you will understand things better, and you will have the power to create and achieve your aspirations.

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
Izvor Book 231 The Seeds of Happiness
Chapter 1. A Gift to be Cultivated