Happiness
What does being happy even mean? If one were to define the basic nature of happiness as a feeling of general well being and contentment, I'd have to say that a heroin addict is happy when they are high and somehow that is different than what I mean when I talk about happiness in this context. To better explain what I mean by happy, it would be helpful to look at Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, along with Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
Maslow began by grouping needs into two categories, deficiency needs and growth needs. With deficiency needs, the four lower levels of the hierarchy, each lower need has to be met before moving to the next higher level. One cannot skip a level. Even once one has moved up the pyramid, they must still be aware of the lower order needs and return to them if they are no longer being satisfied. The deficiency needs are:
Physiological: such as hunger, thirst, etc.
Safety: security, being out of danger
Belonginess and Love: associate with others, be accepted
Self-Esteem: to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition
Meeting these needs is not what I mean by happiness.