Happiness is largely a deep feeling of inner peace and contentment, which satisfies the body and soul by alleviating all tensions until it turns into a feeling of pleasant fullness. This primordial peace preserves the elements that increase happiness, whether they are … Delightful sights, pleasant sounds, inspiring scents, flavors that nourish the senses, the delicate touch of beauty or a combination of all.
Happiness involves a lack of spiritual discontent and a soul full of harmony, for it is only the inside that makes us truly aware of complete personal well-being, which we believers inevitably end up identifying with the omnipresent presence of God. Transcendence always appears in our perception of beauty, that which brings us closer to the “state of pleasant spiritual and physical contentment” which we call happiness.
The city, the time, the context, and certain parishioners can contribute decisively to our enjoyment of this feeling, especially if everything is accompanied by spiritual beliefs or conditions capable of taking us beyond the human. A shared city brings everything together: family, friends and neighbours, the work we do personally, the wealth of living in a loved place and the joy of being happy.
Every person is a universe, but these lines are intended to reflect only the common denominator among us who are sure that we will inhabit the beloved city. Life is also a valley of tears, where problems are sometimes difficult to overcome, which ultimately weakens the joy. But it is about seeing the environment positively, taking advantage of our idiosyncrasies and the privilege of breathing in the exotic light of this southern habitat.
Because living in Seville is the undeserved gift of life, which will definitely make you fall in love from the beginning and forever. We indigenous people innately know this, as do those who call the city their own. Seville is an unfinished poem of eternal love, which allows us to dream of new verses every day and feel good, very well, in the small and big city at the same time. There’s not much to envy about this city, no matter how beautiful many other enclaves and landscapes of the world are.
Realizing that this blessed reality is constantly evolving in multiple aspects and realizing that it is a sign of history, some of us experience an inevitable longing for the many Sevilles we have already experienced. As we begin the second quarter of the twenty-first century, it is useless to lose sight of the other times and the other ways of that city in which so many decades ago we learned to be happy.
It is time to understand the innovations and see that the soul and essence of the city, fortunately, remains intact. Seville was different, but no better than it is today. Fashion and accessory habits change, but the spirit of Seville remains. In the new city, the key is age, which should not degenerate into ageism.
We, experienced Sevilleans, are the ones who affirm that the city remains a magical space of life, no matter how times, circumstances and behaviors change. Seville is still the city of grace and charm that made José María Izquierdo wander.
Alfonso Antonio Gala is the author of one of the most flattering tributes: “The bad thing is not that the people of Seville think they have the most beautiful city in the world… the worst is that they may be right.” Although perhaps best summed up by Lola Flores’ famous summary, when she concluded that “Seville is like a dream of paradise.”
The happiness I was referring to at the beginning is exactly that dream of heaven, flowing into this space of our love. The city of grandparents and great-grandchildren, yesterday and future. Certainly, a love poem for which we will never thank life enough. Seville is the beautiful, forever unfinished poetry that God has given us Seville.