IS HAPPINESS OVERRATED?

As an avid follower of a good few quote accounts on instragram and pinterest, I love nothing more than reading feel good quotes about happiness.

Of the all the quotes I have read this particular quote has stuck with me, it really resonated with me.

I actually attack the concept of happiness. The idea that—I don't mind people being happy—but the idea that everything we do is part of the pursuit of happiness seems to me a really dangerous idea and has led to a contemporary disease in Western society, which is fear of sadness. It's a really odd thing that we're now seeing people saying "write down three things that made you happy today before you go to sleep" and "cheer up" and "happiness is our birthright" and so on. We're kind of teaching our kids that happiness is the default position. It's rubbish. Wholeness is what we ought to be striving for and part of that is sadness, disappointment, frustration, failure; all of those things which make us who we are. Happiness and victory and fulfillment are nice little things that also happen to us, but they don't teach us much. Everyone says we grow through pain and then as soon as they experience pain they say, "Quick! Move on! Cheer up!" I'd like just for a year to have a moratorium on the word "happiness" and to replace it with the word "wholeness." Ask yourself, "Is this contributing to my wholeness?" and if you're having a bad day, it is.

Hugh MacKay, author of The Good Life

The only part I'm not sure about is where he speaks of writing down three things that made you happy..I think that doing such a exercise is a good thing as it cultivates gratitude.

What do you think of this quote? What's your favorite quote on happiness?