The pursuit of happiness is a lingering reminder that stays constant in our heads and is the sole purpose of life. However, leaving behind the passions that drive us towards our goal and giving up may seem like it is the easiest way out of the pain that is holding us down, but it is simply not worth it in the long run if we never reach our happiness. Regret and longing will haunt your future, leaving you questioning yourself during those restless nights. What is the purpose of continuing to push forward instead of giving up? Without having the bad days that teach us a lesson, we will never be able to be grateful for the memorable good days that contrast the unfortunate ones. Sometimes, we might find ourselves on the wrong path towards the same destination, and the shortcut yields the same results. Only we have power over our own lives and we must bring our own meaning to life for our goals. 

Sacrifices and hardships burden many people but many fail to understand that without the pain, there is no gain. Leaving behind the bad moments will teach our present selves to appreciate the better moments in life. In the story, Siddhartha, the protagonist finds himself questioning himself as he wonders. “Why would he go any further, where, and for what purpose? There was no more purpose; there was nothing more than a deep, painful longing to shake off this whole confused dream, to spit out this stale wine, to make an end of this bitter, painful life” (Hesse 71). Starting at rock bottom only allows for growth and prosperity because giving up halfway harnesses no benefit. The hard work which Siddhartha put in would be deemed worthless if he were to give up on finding his nirvana now. In the end, Siddhartha reconciles with his son because of his fatherly love and it brings about a sense of closure for his suffering, finally giving him reason to keep on pushing forward.

Happiness can even be found in the littlest things. Sometimes, it remains right under our noses, but we may be too oblivious to even bat an eye to it. Caught up in our own world of worries, finding joy in our surroundings is much easier than we would think. The influence of someone else’s world can change our world. During global playday, the connection of simply bonding with classmates and talking while painting our nails opened up a new mindset to me. I appreciated how accepting people were in wanting to try new things that might have been out of their comfort zone. Without being adventurous, people would not be able to find new things that hold potential value in reimbursing their happiness in trade for their curiosity. Setting a good mindset and good vibes are small details that create a better environment. Listening to music can be overlooked because it often serves as background noise, but it also works very well as motivation. Being grateful and attentive to the minor aspects of what life brings about can add fuel to push us forward.

Perseverance is a crucial personal quality that gives meaning to our own lives. You miss all of the shots you don’t take and you can never be certain what the outcome of your goal will be if you never decide to take risks. Existentialism teaches followers that only we have total control over our lives. As a result, we must find the mental and physical strength to pursue our goals and never give up.

Quitting halfway and failing to commit to any attempt at a goal is simply pointless because there was no purpose in starting. You’ll never actually know what your end results will be and they may be worth it in the end. Scarring moments that may slow down our progress will only teach us to become stronger. Appreciating our current situation and what makes us happier motivates the drive forward and we must learn to trust in our own actions. The chase will never end until we are sure that we have really accomplished a sense of happiness through this pursuit.