In It for Life: Maximizing Longevity
By Tim Lybarger
“The secret of life is that those who are temporarily in possession of power give to those who are temporarily without. The key word is temporarily.”— Jim Hogan
Happiness
We are given so much. And it can be altogether too easy to take it all for granted. Or, even to feel short-changed all the while, wrapped in the kinds of material blessings that much of the rest of the world envies.
Yes, we seem to be a society consumed with that great constitutional right: “…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Doesn’t it imply that I am owed a happy life?
Well, we are certainly guaranteed the right to pursue a happy life. But, where should we seek it?
Material Comfort
It is important to have our basic, fundamental needs met. Without a foundation of security, we might face a slog of days focused purely on survival.
Yet, how much do we really need? I am reminded of an impactful scene from the 2012 documentary Happy, where a poor father in India provides for his family by pulling commuters in a rickshaw all day, every day. He describes a good day as a day when the family has salt to put on their rice. His greatest blessing? To have his children run to greet him when he returns home. With little by way of material comforts, he is a happy man.
Our consumer society would have us believe that the pathway to happiness is through nurturing our ambitions, by getting ahead, by acquiring more of what is peddled to us through every form of media that can reach our minds.
Why is it then that the use of anti-depressants in the US has jumped by 65% over the 15 years between 1999-2014? (CBS News.com)
The Humble Ambition
There is a Chinese saying that goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” – Time.com
There is no mystery here. Popular wisdom offered up over the centuries, along with plenty of compelling scientific research, make clear that the secret to true happiness is in helping others.
Why? Maybe because it takes our attention off of ourselves. Maybe because it puts our circumstances into true perspective. Maybe because it shifts our minds away from the ambition of acquisition and onto the humbler ambition of giving.
No matter.
Today, ask yourself these two questions:
Who do I want to help?
And, what problem do I want to help them solve?
Then do it. Happily.
Image courtesy pexels.com
