Happiness and Meaning Are Not Synonymous

By: Alana Karran At every stage of life, it is normal and natural to ponder the age-old question, “Am I happy?” This question makes its debut somewhere around puberty, when hormones begin to surge and developmentally we begin to shift our focus from pleasing the adults around us to finding identity through our peer groups. Adolescence is also the time when we begin to think both logically and abstractly. This leads to introspection and self-analysis, traits which, if nurtured, will mature throughout life and also help us gain perspective into the behaviors and actions of others. Happiness, once an emotional state that required no thought, now becomes something measurable; something that is derived from a quantifiable expectation being met. By the time young adulthood arrives, self-focus emerges, and the larger questions of “Who am I? What do I want to