According to the Oxford dictionary, happiness is defined as the state of being content, which is an arguably simple explanation for such a complex emotion. The reason it is so complex is that it has, till date, been the most sought-after elixir by humankind. Amidst the bedlam that is the coronavirus pandemic, smiles are running out of stock and joy is hard to find. However, this situation raises the question about what real happiness is. People across the globe are fighting for lives, and their age and fitness levels are being used as determining factors for medical aid. The silver lining in this desolate situation is that most quarantined people have discovered something they had long forgotten. Practices, like interacting and having fun with family members and singing songs to lighten the mood, have now become commonplace. This is the very essence of happiness, to choose to spread and receive joy.

While happiness may be subjective, we often commit the mistake of tying our own happiness to the happiness of others, be it parents, friends or partners. For example, in the movie What Happens in Vegas Cameron Diaz says “By trying not to please you, I became myself again”. The truth is that freedom of being you is where true happiness begins. 

“The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with whom you are, and not who people think you are” said by Goldie Hawn, is another life motto that we should all adopt and live by. Happiness can be found knowing that you have the power to choose what to accept and what to let go. The happiest people don’t always get the best of everything; they always try to make the best out of everything they get. When you let go of the idea of an ‘ideal life’ your soul will seem lighter and your spirit, freer. If everyone is responsible for their own joy, happiness can be achieved and cherished by everyone alike.

Just as Dumbledore told Harry, 'Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light’!