I read a news article a few weeks ago when I was interested in finding out more about happiness. That's right, happiness. The peaceful, fizzy feeling on your insides that makes you smile at everything and everybody.
We all know that money doesn't buy happiness (neither can it buy you love, thanks Paul for clearing that up). Health is nice but doesn't guarantee you're heart will be full of good cheer, only that it will pump blood longer.
Everyone has their own version of what makes them happy. According to Moulin Rouge! the theme has got to be Freedom Beauty Truth and Loooooooove (sorry, I started singing it in my head). Thoreau might argue that you've got to live simply and get into nature to find the H-word. Christians would say the keys are Faith, Hope, and Love (the greatest of these being Love, thanks other Paul for clearing that up).
I found this interesting:
If you don't feel like reading it, basically it's an article about a study finding that the happiest nation (Denmark) has low expectations. Thus they are pleasantly surprised when things go well. I would have to take that a step further to say the more it takes to make you happy the less happy you'll probably be.
I guess you could sum up my ideaology with this motto: Faith, Beauty, Moderation, and Love.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Faith is a key ingredient to happiness, but not necessarily the Christian faith. I know a lot of un or semi-happy Christians (and a lot of super-happy ones too) but there are also a lot of happy Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims etc. Faith is not a vehicle of happiness but rather gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Without meaning there can be no joy.
I'm going to lump these next two together because I think they need each other. Beauty and Moderation need to go hand in hand. There are some people in the world who will only be satisfied if they have the finest of everything. The biggest houses, cars, most fashionable clothes, gadgets, friends, etc. Then there are those who think that living in the poorest conditions, getting out of the rat race as it were and going down to the barest minimum is the way to find true happiness. I think that Moderation is key.
By all means, take yourself out of the rat race. Get rid of all the excess that clogs up your life and be free of the need for more. But consider that most people require some level of comfort in their lives in order to be happy. I don't have a lot of furniture and for a while I was sitting and eating my meals on the floor. But now I have a couch, a table and some chairs. They were all from Ikea or a flea market but they're comfortable. It doesn't take a mountain of gold to have a comfortable home. All it takes is an eye to see beauty.
Squalor and depravity does nothing for the human heart. Beauty in the everyday, in simple ways is a must. I bought those tulips at Walmart for 10 dollars. I've picked flowers from a ditch before that were magnificent. When I have a bad day I go buy me some Swedish Fish for a dollar.
Swedish Fish always cheer me up. They're made by the same company that makes Sour Patch Kids (love love love) and they're basically the Red Sour Patch Kids without the sour.
The point is you've got to bring beauty into your life and find small things that bring you happiness. No matter what conditions you live in. Maybe we should send flower seed packets to third world countries along with food and medical supplies.
Love is self-explanatory. You've got to have someone to talk to, listen to, joke with, cry with, and get pissed at. You've got to be connected. There are songs that say that God is all we need and he is enough. I don't think that's really true. I think that we think it should be true. I think God saw that it was not good for man to be alone so he created Eve. That isn't to say that marriage will bring happiness and fulfillment but that relationships do.
Shalom
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