Entitlement and the Pursuit of Happiness

I am almost ashamed to say it, but I have favorites among my pets.
Granted, they take turns most often, since one or two of them are usually bugging the crap out of me... but I have my baby... who ironically was never supposed to be part of our 'pride'.
Those that know the story know that I ended up with a pregnant mama cat and a daughter begging to keep one of the litter. Thinking I knew a bit about genetics, I promised her we'd keep the white one. He was the last one born in a litter of four... his brothers and sisters were black or mottled. He was pure white, with crystal blue eyes. A genetic freak. And a Mama's Boy.

He is Spartacus.

OR... as I refer to him (in my kitten voice) 'Sparkle-Berry Brown'. (His gay stage name.)
He is a titled cat. He is the Prince of Precious, the Earl of Snuggles, and the Marquis of Muffins.
Often, I like to just watch him... as he investigates the best spot in the room to take a nap or takes great pains to wash his face. He is the kind of cat who starts to purr before you even touch him, but will run if I have ear drops anywhere in arms' reach. He seems to know intent, if that's possible. (Which, for animals, I think it is.)

As I watched him drool while kneading a pillow, it struck me that cats... or any animal, really... need no permission to pursue their own happiness. They just do. Whether it's chasing flies or napping in the sunny spot, animals need no excuse... no justification for what they do. It is understood. They simply choose to 'be'.

As humans, we are not guaranteed the unalienable right to happiness itself. We are guaranteed the right to 'pursue' happiness. (Within certain legal and socially acceptable parameters, of course.)
And yet, I'm struck by how incorrect that may be. By simply being given the free will to 'pursue' happiness, aren't we already guaranteed that it's available to us?
Here's where I'm going with this...
It's a choice.
To 'pursue'... is a choice. To be happy is a choice. To be angry is a choice. In the end, any decision stems from the same vessel.

I hear both sides of the coin from those who don't believe they deserve to be happy... and those who believe that they are entitled to happiness. I believe it's neither. And both. It's a choice. Neither is something that comes from any external force. It is solely and completely 100% internal.

I've lived most of my life as a reactionary person. Happy because something caused me to be happy or angry because someone or something made me so... But where I find peace nowadays is in simply choosing to be happy. Not for any reason other than just to 'be'. Not only does it put the responsibility back on me, but it removes the ability of anyone/anything else to alter my 'state of being'.

I don't think my pampered gay cat ever questions whether he deserves to be happy or whether he needs to be angry... I think he just 'is'... and that seems like a very unapologetic, peaceful existence to me. It just feels right.

There is hope in this world. There is peace. There is happiness. There is love.
I do believe in Gandhi's observation that we have to be the change we want to see in the world.
Not because we are entitled or deserving, but because it is part of the fundamental purpose of being. We are responsible for our own actions and reactions. We are responsible for our own pursuits. Responsible for our own anger. And our own happiness.

And on that note, I leave some words from Osho:

"Take hold of your own life.
See that the whole existence is celebrating.
These trees are not serious, these birds are not serious.
The rivers and the oceans are wild,
and everywhere there is fun,
everywhere there is joy and delight.
Watch existence,
listen to the existence and become part of it."
— Osho