“What is the meaning of life?” is the question asked in a music video of Beyoncé’s titled “Pretty Hurts.” It’s a pretty deep question for a music video. Beyoncé’s response? “To be happy.”

For the context of the video, her response is suitable, but the seemingly basic answer implores deeper thought. Is that what we’re supposed to get out of life? Happiness?

If we mean “happy” as seeking eternal happiness with the Lord, then yes, the meaning of life is to be happy. But so often we only focus on being happy in this world. We take a “YOLO” approach and say, “You only live once, so you better do whatever you want to be happy while you can.”

While we should live life to the fullest and strive for happiness, we need to make sure that our idea of happiness in this life does not hinder our chance for happiness in the next.

As a society, we tend to rationalize sin for the sake of our own “happiness.” Sometimes it’s not sin, but simply an excuse to not be the best versions of ourselves:

- “I can’t stand my in-laws . . . I’m much happier when I don’t talk to them.”
- “I’m always depressed when I visit the elderly in nursing homes . . . I’m happier when I don’t go.”
- “We’re going to try living together before we get married . . . we’re much happier this way.”
- “I don’t get anything out of Mass . . . I’m much happier staying home Sunday mornings.”

As long as you’re “happy,” everything is supposed to be justified.
But justifying our wrongdoings in this manner only hinders us from attaining genuine, fulfilling, and everlasting happiness.

An excellent Catholic speaker, Ennie Hickman, once used a rope to convey the extent of life. He stretched out the rope, approximately 50 feet long, and explained that one inch of the rope is our time on Earth. But that one inch is not the end of our rope! The rest of the rope (and then some) is Heaven. We have that one inch to live according to God’s will. If we do that, we get an eternity of the purest happiness imaginable.
Why would we want to jeopardize that for fleeting earthly pleasures?

As complex as it is for us to wrap our human brains around the reality of eternity, we must believe that what is so abstract to us now is incredibly authentic.
We need to wake up, take up the crosses we’ve been given, and start doing everything we possibly can to attain undying happiness with Christ.