The Role Of Relationships In Happiness: Importance Of Family And Friends

We must evolve from Pleasure to Peace, which comes from living with contentment and fulfillment.

Happiness, we know, is a universal pursuit. While individual characteristics like personality and attitudes, like the attitude of gratitude, play a role, one crucial aspect stands out relationships. The bonds we form with family and friends play an important role in our happiness and well-being. In fact, to many people, work, money and success are secondary to relationships. AiR – Atman in Ravi: Happiness Ambassador, Author, Spiritual Mentor and Philanthropist strongly believes that we should spell happiness with the 3 Ps to remind us what happiness actually is a combination of pleasure, peace and purpose.

Family Relationships Are A Cornerstone Of Happiness

They can provide a sense of belonging, security and identity. A strong family bond can help us navigate life’s challenges, providing emotional support and practical assistance when needed, a shoulder to lean on in hard times. Growing up in a supportive and loving family environment can have a lasting impact on our well-being. Children who have a happy childhood are more likely to experience happiness as adults. They will grow up having faith in human relationships, in love, having seen it around them.

Friendships Are Another Essential Component Of Happiness

Friends can offer companionship, emotional support and a sense of community. Studies have shown that people with close friendships tend to have higher levels of happiness and satisfaction. Friends can also provide a fresh perspective, helping us to reframe challenges and find new solutions. Moreover, friendships can be a source of joy and laughter, which are essential for our emotional well-being. We often share our closest secrets with our friends rather than our family!
While relationships are crucial for happiness, they also require effort and nurturing to sustain. There are ways to cultivate and maintain stronger relationships with family and friends. We must spend quality time with people we love, showing appreciation and gratitude, whether through words or gestures. We must make it a point to be present in their company. So, we must steer clear of distractions, like cell phones, laptops and other gadgets. We must accept people as they are, with their flaws and imperfections. We must try to love unconditionally.
Having said all this, ironically, relationships can also become a source of misery and anxiety in our life. Bonds break. Siblings part ways, parents become estranged from their children, friends become enemies, lovers separate and marriages end in divorce. Therefore, we must go beyond family and friends if we want to be truly happy. Our happiness must be free of external circumstances that constantly change. Happiness must not depend on mere pleasures, people or possessions.

To Begin With

We must understand that nobody is actually ‘ours.’ We come alone and we leave this world alone. Hence, it is important to be detached. Detachment does not mean not loving anyone but loving people realizing the transient nature of life, the impermanence of everything in this world. Parallel to this is not to have expectations. Expectations may lead to disappointments because all expectations can never be fulfilled. We must understand that most relationships give us Pleasure, the first P of happiness. Pleasure comes and goes. Peace is the foundation of true happiness. However, we must evolve further to Purpose, the third P of happiness, which comes from Enlightenment, from realizing, ‘Who am I?’ When we realize we are the Soul, that we are all Souls, a part of the Supreme Immortal Power we call God, we attain peace, happiness and bliss. We see our family and friends as manifestations of God. We see all as Divine manifestations. Then, in each relationship, every person becomes a source of happiness!