The Courage to Be Happy

Dalgalar was a quiet man, but his presence spoke louder than words. People gathered around him not to hear his wisdom but to experience the peace he radiated. He sought no admiration, nor did he ask for reward. He lived as he believed, simply, yet with a fullness that others could not grasp.

This world was peculiar. It valued neither wealth nor power, yet everyone felt rich within it. People did not own things; they were merely entrusted with them. Houses, food, and even time belonged to all. If someone needed something, they received it, and if they had something, they shared it. Love here was not just a feeling but a way of life.

One day, a young man from a foreign world came to see Dalgalar. Stories of this young man described him as coming from a place where life was fast, loud, and devoid of kindness. He approached Dalgalar with uncertainty, curiosity in his eyes, and a flicker of unrest in his soul.

“Why are you so at peace?” he asked as he watched Dalgalar happily repairing an old bench. “In your world, nothing accumulates, and no one has more than the next person. Don’t you ever... want more? Something just for yourself?”

Dalgalar smiled and set down his tools. His gaze traveled to the horizon, where the forest met the sky. “The courage to be happy lies in not seeking happiness where others see it. If everything were taken from me right now, my home, my food, my clothes, I would sit beneath a tree and look at the world. And... if all of it were returned to me, my gratitude would be boundless. Because I would understand that none of it ever truly belonged to me.”

The young man shook his head in confusion. “But what if no one returns anything to you? What then?”

“Then I would ask myself: What do I truly have left?” Dalgalar looked him straight in the eyes. “And the answer is simple: Me. I remain. The world around me, my thoughts, my peace. Courage isn’t in building wealth or owning more than others. Courage is saying: I am enough. I have enough.”

The young man was silent for a moment, but his restlessness soon resurfaced. “But what about happiness? Don’t you feel like you deserve more of it? That you have to take it if others won’t give it to you?”

Dalgalar paused to reflect, then answered, “Do you think happiness is something you can take? Happiness is like a river. You cannot scoop up all its water in your hands, but you can sit by its banks and let it flow. The more you try to grab it, the more it slips away. But if you let it flow, you will realize you are part of something greater.”

The young man left, but Dalgalar’s words stayed with him. In his own world, happiness was a goal people chased, a distant horizon that never came closer. But what if happiness was something he had always held in his hands, without noticing?

When the young man returned to his world, he began to notice the things he had overlooked before. The sunrise over the city. The laughter of a child. The gaze of a person extending their hand to him. And one quiet evening, he remembered Dalgalar’s words: If everything were taken from you and then returned, how great would your gratitude be?

He stopped and began to smile. Because he realized that the courage to be happy lies in allowing yourself to feel it, not because others approve, not because you have more or less than anyone else, but because you know that you are enough. And perhaps, if you show this feeling to the world, it will be a courage that changes not just your life but the lives of many.

The courage to be happy is a gift. And the greatest gratitude for this gift is to pass it on.