"And behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness!"

He was 29 years old; single; with unruly, chin-length hair; drinking; smoking; and living out of his van with a black lab puppy when he told me that he was happy.  "Never been more happy than when I've just been living out of my van," he proclaimed.  Not one to assume that I know exactly what makes each and every person happy, I smiled and agreed that such a carefree life would certainly be fun.  However, his comment kept me thinking.  The quest of every human is to find happiness.  I've met many different people in various situations that have claimed to be happy.  Likewise, I've met others in comparable situations to those who claim to be happy who are clearly not satisfied with their lives.  How can one person claim to be happy in a situation that another person would invariably be miserable?  And who are we to look at someone else's life and determine whether they should or should not be happy because of their personal lifestyle choices?  From a religious perspective, there are apparently different levels of happiness.  The more one trusts our Heavenly Father and follows His will for them, we have been promised a greater, more authentic source of happiness.  As I've put this truth to practice in my own life, I have recognized the promised blessings.  Yet as there are varying degrees of happiness, it would be natural to assume that if one does not know what happiness is at a higher level, than he/she would be perfectly content and happy at his/her current level of happiness.  Thus, no one can tell another whether or not they are truly happy, nor can they tell them that there is perhaps more happiness that they could acquire.  Man's search for happiness comes from within.  Our souls know when we are happy, and when we must search for something more in our lives.  However, I will say this; change is the only constant in our lives, and likewise our happiness will never remain stagnant.  Happiness is a direct result of positive actions and obedience to eternal truths.  The more we strive to incorporate those positive actions into our lives, and to live in accordance to those eternal truths, the quality of our happiness will increase as well!