What is happiness?

For me it is something that cannot exist without unhappiness, one gives the other meaning as without the other they are essentially abstract terms - you define one in opposition to the other. That’s not to say I need equal amounts of happiness / unhappiness in my life, but rather that I just try and accept that both are part of the process of living. There was an Orwell quote which said something like, “Men can only be happy when they do not assume the object of life is happiness”, which I like. I also think its especially pertinent in modern times were the main injunction seems to be to “enjoy life” to “have a good time”. There is nothing more oppressive (or depressive) that the expectation to be happy. I try not to expect it as an absolute - something I must have ALL of the time - but appreciate it when I find it in places here and there...

Anyhows, that’s not really answering the question. For me happiness comes from relationships, attachment, acceptance, play, creativity, and spontaneity - I still don't really know what it is, although I'm tempted to say there is something essentially child-like in it.