Don’t Go Chasing Happiness, by Dr. Donald DeMarco

The Declaration of Independence refers to “the pursuit of happiness” as an inalienable right, along with life and liberty.  The words “pursuit” and “chase” differ in an important, though subtle, way.  When we pursue something, we usually have it in our sight.  A man pursues a particular woman.  The word “chase,” on the other hand, has a broader meaning.  A policeman can chase a robber, though he may not catch up to him.  A romantic can chase something that is not there, such as a dream.  He can chase happiness without every possessing it.

The Broadway show, Oh, Look!, that opened in 1918, featured the song, “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows.”  Joseph McCarthy wrote the lyrics, and Harry Carroll is credited with adapting the melody from Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu.”  The lyrics refer to the potential futility of a “chase”:  “At the end of every rainbow there’s happiness, and to find it how often I have tried, but my life is a race just a wild goose chase, and my dreams have all been denied.”  The chorus echoes the opening lyrics as follows:  “I’m always chasing rainbows, watching clouds drifting by.  My schemes are just like all my dreams, ending in the sky.” …