Over the summer holiday, I started doing part time work. Now about two months in, I've pretty much settled in. I can carry out almost all my duties without consulting or having to be corrected. I can't say it's the best thing that ever happened to me, but I don't have any complaints either. I have noticed, when people have inquired about my recently addition to the labor force, they seem to ask around the same lines; whether it is fun.

Earlier this year, I transferred to another university. As you would expect, people want to know how I find my new environment. At least they do ask questions that give me that impression. These questions happen follow a similar pattern, both from people at my previous college and those that I met here. Am I having fun at the new university? And, even since before the transfer, people are always asking me, if it is fun living in Japan.

On another issue… There are many reasons why people make big life changes. Say, leave a job for another, leave a relationship or marriage, leave a city, quit school or change career path. Many reasons why people change the course of their life. A reason that I'm hearing more of lately is "I wasn't happy".

When I look at many people these days, "fun" and "happiness" seem like they are the core of their existence. They only engage in 'fun' activities and the sum of which, day after day makes the pursuit of something bigger, happiness.

Other things you hear said about happiness: "I love her because she makes me happy", as a reason for love. "As long as you're happy", as we justify a compromise. We see Christians today condone practices like fornication “as long as the parties involved are happy".

When people ask about my new university or job, it is as if to say, if it is fun then all is well. That fun or happiness makes everything worth it. I believe, even when we don't verbalize it, many of us are unconsciously making decisions that are meant to ultimately lead us to happiness. Probably under the same assumption, that it will reconcile all things.

If you ask me,  I'm not buying into this happiness and fun stuff. Don't get me wrong, like any normal 23 year old university student, I do like to have fun. And, who doesn't want to be happy? Definitely not me. Nonetheless, I do have some questions...

Everything that is fun is okay to do, and if it isn't fun, it isn't worth doing? Is there anything wrong with a life without fun? And this happiness that we so desperately pursue, can anyone ever get a hold of it? If you grasp it, can you keep a grip on it, or will it slip away. Okay, maybe it's not going anywhere, then what? You're life's purpose is achieved so you can now die? Is it all there is to live for?

More questions. If you live a happy life, does that make it successful or fulfilled? Or if it is successful is it automatically a happy one? If everything you do is meant to be fun, to make you happy, everyone in your life too to make you happy, can we all find happiness without it being at the cost of someone else? Is happiness the goal, or the pursuit of it just a way of keeping ourselves busy? Just long enough to come to the end of our lives.

To better answer these questions, perhaps we need to first define 'fun' and 'happiness'. Because, before we can find happiness, we need to know what it is. Otherwise, how will you know that you've found it if you don't even know what it feels like? Similarly, to be able to have fun, we need to understand what it means.

Well, we can't answer these questions in a few hundred words. So let's save them for another time. I just want us to think about these two things that are very much sought after in our society today that they have elevated themselves almost to the status of gods. It's as if happiness is the new emerging religion where they preach "go and have all the fun 24 hours affords you".

I must say however, it would be sad if fun and happiness were all we are here on earth for. I mean, over 7 billion people existing just to have fun...