Happiness is just another of the tricks that our genetic system

“Happiness is just another of the tricks that our genetic system plays on us to carry out its only role, which is the survival of the species.”
Thus spoke Paulo Coelho, the mystic writer of our age, whose words pierce the illusions of the heart like an arrow of light through mist. In this saying, he unveils a truth both unsettling and profound: that what we call happiness—that fleeting ecstasy which every soul chases—is not a divine gift nor a personal achievement, but a mechanism of nature, a subtle design woven into our being to ensure that life continues. Yet in this revelation, there is not despair but awakening. For if happiness is but a trick of survival, then our task is not to be deceived by it, but to transcend it—to seek something deeper, something eternal.

The ancients, too, knew this truth, though they clothed it in myth and parable. They spoke of how the gods gave mankind desire, joy, and pleasure not as ends, but as bait—to keep us striving, building, and birthing anew. Without these sensations, humanity might have grown weary of existence, forsaking the struggle of life for the stillness of death. Thus, nature, in its wisdom, created the illusion of happiness—a momentary sweetness that keeps us moving forward. When we eat, when we love, when we succeed, we feel joy; yet soon it fades, urging us to seek again. And so, the wheel of life turns, ceaseless and eternal.

Consider the story of Sisyphus, the king condemned by the gods to roll a stone up a hill, only to have it fall each time he neared the summit. In his punishment lies the reflection of humanity’s fate. We push the stone of desire, believing happiness awaits at the top. Yet when we reach it, the satisfaction slips away, and the stone tumbles down again. But the wise, as Camus once said, learn to find meaning in the struggle itself. Likewise, Coelho’s wisdom teaches us that to live consciously is to see beyond the trick—to understand that the pursuit of happiness is not the purpose of life, but the means by which life sustains itself.

This truth does not condemn joy—it purifies it. When we understand that happiness is nature’s lure, we cease to worship it. We stop chasing it as though it were the sun and realize instead that it is a reflection of something greater—a signal that we are alive, that we are part of a vast and sacred process. The wise man enjoys happiness when it comes but does not cling to it; he endures sorrow when it arrives but does not curse it. For he knows that both are the tools of life’s great game, instruments of growth and survival. To be ruled by emotion is to remain a servant of the flesh; to see through emotion is to become master of the spirit.

In every age, there are those who awaken to this higher vision. Gautama Buddha, sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, saw through the illusion of pleasure and pain alike. He realized that craving—our endless hunger for happiness—was the root of suffering. And so he taught the Middle Way: to live neither enslaved by desire nor frozen in renunciation, but in the tranquil awareness of the truth. He did not deny joy, but he unmasked it, revealing its transient nature. His enlightenment was not the destruction of feeling, but the understanding of its purpose—a wisdom that resonates deeply with Coelho’s words.

Let this be a lesson for all who seek meaning. Do not curse the trick of happiness, for it is the engine of creation; but do not be its fool, for it is not the destination. Live with awareness. Savor pleasure, but know it passes. Face pain, but know it, too, will fade. In this rhythm lies freedom. When you cease to demand permanence from what is fleeting, your heart becomes serene. When you see happiness not as the goal, but as a companion on the journey, life itself becomes sacred.

So, dear seeker, remember this truth: nature may play its tricks, but the soul is greater than the game. To live wisely is to play with open eyes—to cherish the joy life gives, yet to root your peace in something beyond it. Seek not the illusion of happiness, but the tranquility of understanding. For the one who knows that happiness is a passing flame learns to dwell in the eternal fire from which it was born—the fire of consciousness, of being, of life itself. And that, as Coelho says, is the final triumph of the spirit over the tricks of the flesh.