The Nature of Man’s Desire for Happiness

Reporter: Regine Quijano

Man’s desire for limitless good, and consequently for perfect happiness, is not illusionary; it is not a
deceitful and vain desire.

It is a desire capable of fulfillment; it is realization.

We may, with St. Thomas, reason to this conclusion in the following manner.

Nature does nothing in vain. Therefore, the desire is not in vain; in other words, this desire is
realizable_Again, Ethics may prove the same truth by assuming a demonstrated facts which are
scientifically evidenced in the science of Theodicy.

Now Theodicy proves that there is one God, the Creator, who is all-wise, and all good. But the all-wise
Creator could not implant in His rational creature is fine worthy desire that cannot be realized; else the
all-wise God would be the author of our futility. Nor could the all-good God mock man by causing him
inevitably to the desire unattainable. Hence, we conclude that man’s desire for perfect happiness is not
illusionary but is realizable in very well fact. We cannot assert that each man will actually attain to
perfect happiness; we only declare the scientific truth that each man may attain that happiness.
Certainly, this perfect happiness is not attainable in this world here and now; since its attainment has
been shown possible——it must be attainable in another world hereafter.