This is the fifth and final article in the series reviewing The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt. First, I want to share with you my thoughts on the role of the divine and sacred in modern life. Second, I want to look at the difference between "finding happiness" and "being happy."
In the previous article I looked at the Adversity hypothesis and the Virtue hypothesis. The first holds that in order to grow you need to overcome setbacks in your life. The second assets that you need to practice virtue to be happy. I realized that both notions can give my life deep purpose and meaning.
In this article I look at what Haidt calls the "ethic of divinity," peak experiences or moments of self transcendence, the importance of love and work, and finally what I term asking the right questions about happiness.
Ethic of divinity
Haidt proposes that the social world has in fact three dimensions. The first has to do with closeness: close versus distant kin, and between friends versus strangers. The second has to do with social hierarchy in our relationships with others. The third deals with the moral dimension or divinity. Human beings perceive divinity and sacredness in the world, although it may not necessarily exist. The existentialist Sartre said that life is empty and meaningless. However, one idea or interpretation I took away from attending the Landmark Education Forum recently is that "life is empty and meaningless and it is empty and meaningless that life is empty and meaningless."
One way human beings give a sense of meaning to life is through the ethic of divinity. Indian culture, for example, believes that living in a pure and holy way is a means to spiritual and moral advancement; it becomes a visceral experience. As a Christian myself, I believe that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says, and should be treated with reverence and respect. I must admit that I get pleasure in going to church; it allows me to step out of my profane existence.
Peak experiences
Haidt refers to A. Maslow's work on peak experiences, joyous and exciting moments in life that produce feelings of intense happiness and well-being. Applied to a religious experience (which does not necessarily represent the "truth"), these moments provide a state of self transcendence. People perceive something vast, something beyond their existing mental structures. Such moments create an opening for change, and even transformation. Haidt relates beautifully the dramatic climax of the Bhagavad Gita in which Arjuna is transformed. In my own case, reading the gospel and hearing a well phrased sermon among a community of believers give me a strong sense of well-being.
Haidt points out that the little voice is often the main obstacle to spiritual advancement. How true that is. I see my own little voice drawing me back to the material and profane, elevating my ego over the spiritual, and trying to convince me (often successfully) that it is easier to stay home then to go to church. Of course, some may say that one can still connect to the sacred without necessarily going to church, temple, synagogue or wherever.
Love and work
Haidt returns to the notion of the happiness formula, which I looked at in article 3: H(appiness) = S(et point) + C(onditions) + V (oluntary activities). He asserts that people look for a set of principles and goals that guide their actions or give meaning or value to the choices they make. A key idea for Haidt is that you have to get the conditions right to be happy. Love and work are crucial for happiness. It is also critical to pursue and have the right goals. Some, however, may not agree with this equation entirely. There is much evidence coming from spiritual traditions affirming that human beings are inherently happy and do not realize it.
Tolstoy said it beautifully, "One can live magnificently in this world, if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work." Your work may be just a job for you, or just a career. However, if your life work is a calling, it will most likely give you a sense of intrinsic fulfillment and a sense of flow. For me, my work as a writer and teacher is a calling. I get tremendous joy, flow, and identity from writing and teaching; I am connected, engaged and committed.
Asking the right questions
So we can ask ourselves two questions. What should I do to have a good happy, fulfilling and meaningful life? How can I be happy and fulfilled? There is really no answer to the first question. You cannot find, acquire or achieve happiness directly. As Haidt says, you have to get the conditions right. You need to be coherent in all the levels of your life; you need to be in relationship to something beyond yourself; and you need love and a calling. There is really no answer to the second question either. It is like asking yourself how can I breathe. Just like breathing, happiness happens. It is living in the moment and having a blast.
Dr. Frank Bonkowski is an educator, writer and author of bestselling educational textbooks. He is co-founder, with Dr. Fred Horowitz, of http://www.happiness-after-midlife.com/, an educational website for Third Agers devoted to adult transition and reinvention. He can be reached at dr.frank@happiness-after-midlife.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment