I wonder, is happiness temporary? Or is it sorrow that is temporary?

Some say, by nature, we are sorrowful creatures, being ripped away from the life before birth.

The first thing we experience in life is crying. Does that justify that aforementioned sorrowful nature of ours?

I can only speculate that the answer is different for every person. I believe our background--the experiences, acquaintances, and surroundings that have shaped us in our lifetime--is the factor that molds our answer to that query.

If one had been around the block a few times, then their view of happiness and sorrow would differ from one that was not.

If all one knew was sorrow, then it becomes the "base" in their field of emotion. Happiness would be something that comes along once in a while, a temporary experience. Though, if one was brought up in a more joyful environment, then that would be the "base" instead. Happiness would be the norm, whereas sorrow would be something that is temporary.

Of course, by stating that, I have committed the fallacy of two extremes. What about neutrality? And all the other emotions in between. I cannot only address and assume that all we feel is either sorrow or joy. There are many many others out there that must be taken into consideration.

But, I digress. The original query was whether happiness or sorrow was temporary. I suppose, there will never be an actual answer to that--an answer that applies to everyone.

Maybe neither emotions could be temporary. Perhaps, they exist at the same time, counter-balancing each other, ensuring the existence of each. There is no "base" emotion. One can only speculate the possibilities.

To me, happiness will always have that evanescent quality, making it more precious. It is something that I have grown accustomed to. I have become numb to it, in a way. Though twisted as it sounds, I find comfort in sorrow, for it grants me this insight, opening my eyes. I am granted the opportunity to step back from the rest and see everything in a different perspective. It's tantamount to a game of chess, shifting from player to spectator. As a spectator, you see both sides of the game, whereas a player is only limited to one side.

Whether it's a worthy sacrifice I do not know. Blindness for the sake of joy. Sight for the sake of sorrow.

  "Escape to paradise..."
"Find yourself once again in paradise..."

The search for this "paradise" does not know the bounds of time. For as long as humanity has existed, there exists the search for a flawless land of bliss where one can forget their pains and sorrows.

Where there exists stress, pain, despair... a paradise will be sought.

There are many means of escape, be it physical or mental. One may turn to quiet meditation to ease the soul of such emotional burden. Perchance, one may also retreat to music. In a physical sense, one may board the most convenient mode of travel to a place that they deem as paradise... a place away from the thing(s) that is the root of their suffering.

Paradise is a different thing to each person. A place one deems as so, may, perhaps, be a place of torture for others. Each has its unique attributes that makes it the paradise it is to the person.

Yet, that feeling of relief is but temporary... whatever demons that are chasing them, will return.

This idea of escaping from these emotions is welcoming. But, the evanescent quality of this escape makes paradise seem sadistic almost. The place that serves as a sanctuary becoming a place of sorrow, for when the time comes for one to leave that place... the demons will creep back into the consciousness, burdening the soul once more.

Perhaps, we should not depend on things "outside" of us for relief. We should rely on the thing we can depend on most, the one that is always with us regardless... we should rely on ourselves.

It is only if we find those demons that lurk in us, that we may truly "be in paradise." This is tantamount to fighting off a fungal infection. A yeast infection, for an example. Yeast, once inside the body, burrows deep within the tissues because of the way they reproduce. Branches called Hyphae serve as roots, anchoring itself in the tissue... so in order for the yeast cells to bud and reproduce. In order to fully rid of the yeast infection, one must attack the Hyphae, the "roots." If the Hyphae are not destroyed, then the infection will persist. Just as we must seek out the "root" of our reason to seek out paradise.

If we find out what the core of the reason is, then the need for paradise will be obsolete. Since... that paradise will be ourselves, for in actuality, that place already resides in us.

What causes that pain, that despair, is our struggle with our demons. To rid the soul of it... that pain would disappear. The constant battle with them would also cease to exist. There would be peace... and that paradise would be realized. Inner peace, would be a fitting term to describe this.

But, alas, this feat is nearly impossible for it is simply just "easier said than done."