Buddhism acknowledges that we all seek happiness. But is this the only thing
that matters to us? Clearly, there are things other than “feeling good” that are
important to us, and are important to us independently of their connection to this
affective state. People do sometimes sacrifice their happiness for the sake of other
values. For example, I might feel better if I abandoned my family and lived the
life of a single man, and yet I might choose to remain with my wife and children.
I might devote time to a certain humanitarian cause even though I would be
happier if I lived an uninvolved, academic life. It seems clear that there are things
other than happiness that matter to us, and matter to us greatly, and may well
matter to us more than happiness. Happiness is important, but it’s not the only
thing that it is important to us, and given that we would sometimes sacrifice our
own happiness for the sake of other values, it’s clear that other things don’t matter
to us only because they lead to happiness.