Tonight I was driving home, and a few nice cars passed me. Even the day before, some dude parked horizontally all crooked to purposely take up four spaces for his Mercedes. As I saw him pulling out, when I was getting into my car, which has a dent where a couple of people actually, hit me, I sighed. "That man has a big ego." Anyway, to my point.
Temporal happiness in worldly things is like when one gets a new car. You get the keys, it feels great, no matter even how high the payments. And its just you and the new 'baby' on the road, there is a nice high you can get with a new vehicle, even if its used. A dealer or even person selling it will usually have it cleaned up. But either way, it will provide a temporal happiness no matter what.
But eventually, it quickly fades and, the payments say, become reality. Or the high insurance. Or, the vehicle doesnt give that same 'thrill' anymore. It shows Buddha was right, once again, when it comes to the world such pursuits of happiness are trivial at best. They will never succeed in providing the type of happiness he spoke of. Its looking in the wrong direction. This is why its important that on the journey, in t he pursuit of happiness (nothing wrong with the pursuit), that one is grounded, and realizes that the majority of happiness comes from within, not without, and objects of the senses are merely fleeting mirages, as all is intrinsicitally empty to begin with. Its all impermanent. And it can be felt. Examine every 'thing' ever owned. What happiness attained eventually wore off, and didnt provide that happiness anymore? Think on these things.