“Joy and woe are woven fine.”

"Only with patience and tenderness might a person surrender his barbed armor for a softer shield. Perhaps in this, I thought, lies the key to the good life—not rules to follow, nor problems to avoid, but an engaged humility, an earnest acceptance of life’s pains and promises." 

There's an interesting article in The Atlantic this week on happiness and the elusive search for it. Its not different than most articles on the subject in that it doesn't provide an answer (surprise) and there are alot of contradictions. The article is about a Harvard study which follows a group of men throughout their lives since the study's inception in 1937 until their deaths. Through the peaks and valleys, their lives are followed and meticulously recorded in an attempt to figure out what constitutes a happy productive life. The article is grey throughout without any definitive outcome, but its an interesting conversation about what life is and isn't, expectations, hopes, doubts, and disappointments and who navigates all this successfully (but what is success?) or not. and why or why not.
Its worth perusing.