Most people think of happiness as essentially a selfish issue. I want to be

happy and I want to be happy for me. I'd like to suggest that in fact happiness is

far far more than a selfish desire. In fact, it is a moral obligation. I know

that most people have never thought of happiness in this way. Neither did I to

tell the truth from much of my life. I thought that happiness and especially

the pursuit of happiness was all about oneself. But it isn't. Whether or not

you're happy and most importantly, whether or not you act happy is about

altruism, not selfishness because it is about how we affect others lives. And

that's what makes it a moral issue. Ask anybody who was raised by an unhappy

parent whether or not happiness is a moral issue and I assure you the answer

will be yes. It is no fun being raised by an unhappy parent or being married to

an unhappy person or being the parent of an unhappy child or working with an

unhappy coworker. Our happiness affects others profoundly. That's why happiness

is a moral obligation. We are morally obligated to at least act as happy as

possible even if we don't feel happy. People can't be guided by feelings

because it is how we act that affects others, not how we feel. A good analogy to

bad moods is bad breath. Why do we brush our teeth multiple times every day? It's

not only because of hygiene, it's because we want to present good breath to

anybody who we come into contact with. Well, the same thing holds true for our

moods. A bad mood should be regarded exactly as we regard bad breath. Why are

you inflicting it on me or why am I inflicting it on you? It's just not right.

That's why one should endeavor as much as possible to act as happy as possible

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