The title of the article I read yesterday really caught my attention. It talked about something “beyond happiness.” The full title is “A New Gauge to See What’s Beyond Happiness.” I was not put off by the idea that there might be something beyond happiness. Of course, I enjoy being happy. Unless one is totally crazy, everyone would enjoy being happy. In my cynical moments I would say sadness will be a given in life. The question is whether there will be any happiness!
The author of the article, John Tierney, is working with some of Martin Seligman’s ideas. Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, is considered the father of positive psychology. He has done a great deal of writing focused on the happiness theme. As the article goes on to claim, Seligman now is “seeing certain limitations of the concept (of happiness).”
It seems there might be more to life than simply being happy. I had to smile. I have known that for a long time. As I said, I always enjoy being happy, but I never assume that is all there is to life…or even that it is the ultimate in life. There is not enough depth in happiness to be the ultimate. Spirituality taught me that a long time ago.
I don’t think one can understand the depth of Jesus’ message or the wisdom of the Buddha simply in “happiness terms.” In fact, I do not think happiness is the end game of any of the major religious traditions. Quite frankly, there is more to life and to living than happiness.
I think Seligman has now discovered that, too. Apparently, he has a new book, Flourish, which I intend to read. In there he has identified “five crucial elements of well-being.” When I hit that phrase, I could guess what was behind that. Yes, it was my old philosopher friend, Aristotle. The key point of life, according to the pre-Christian Greek philosopher, is “well-being.” Since I know Greek, I knew the key word here is eudaimonia. Sometimes that is translated as “happiness,” but that is not as accurate as “well-being.”
I was intrigued by the five crucial elements. They were identified as “positive emotion, engagement (the feeling of being lost in a task), relationships, meaning and accomplishment.” I like this list! For me at least four of these elements are understandably “beyond happiness.” That is to say, I would prefer having any (or all) of these elements to simply being happy. And I am convinced, that is a spiritual answer.
Allow me to pick off just one of these, meaning, and explain why it is more important than happiness. Usually, religion (or spirituality) is one key way human beings make meaning. Personally, I find life meaningful because I have a sense of God, an understanding of myself in relationship to God and within my world. There are other details to the meaning I have spiritually made in my life.
I hope to be happy, but it is not necessary. For me meaning is necessary. Without meaning, there is no point…no purpose. That would lead to despair---a deep kind of sadness. With meaning, I can be ok with sadness and, even, bear suffering.
I was happy to find this article and a very thoughtful way to engage me in thinking about my life, my purpose, my spirituality. And I am really happy to know there is something “beyond happiness!”
The author of the article, John Tierney, is working with some of Martin Seligman’s ideas. Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, is considered the father of positive psychology. He has done a great deal of writing focused on the happiness theme. As the article goes on to claim, Seligman now is “seeing certain limitations of the concept (of happiness).”
It seems there might be more to life than simply being happy. I had to smile. I have known that for a long time. As I said, I always enjoy being happy, but I never assume that is all there is to life…or even that it is the ultimate in life. There is not enough depth in happiness to be the ultimate. Spirituality taught me that a long time ago.
I don’t think one can understand the depth of Jesus’ message or the wisdom of the Buddha simply in “happiness terms.” In fact, I do not think happiness is the end game of any of the major religious traditions. Quite frankly, there is more to life and to living than happiness.
I think Seligman has now discovered that, too. Apparently, he has a new book, Flourish, which I intend to read. In there he has identified “five crucial elements of well-being.” When I hit that phrase, I could guess what was behind that. Yes, it was my old philosopher friend, Aristotle. The key point of life, according to the pre-Christian Greek philosopher, is “well-being.” Since I know Greek, I knew the key word here is eudaimonia. Sometimes that is translated as “happiness,” but that is not as accurate as “well-being.”
I was intrigued by the five crucial elements. They were identified as “positive emotion, engagement (the feeling of being lost in a task), relationships, meaning and accomplishment.” I like this list! For me at least four of these elements are understandably “beyond happiness.” That is to say, I would prefer having any (or all) of these elements to simply being happy. And I am convinced, that is a spiritual answer.
Allow me to pick off just one of these, meaning, and explain why it is more important than happiness. Usually, religion (or spirituality) is one key way human beings make meaning. Personally, I find life meaningful because I have a sense of God, an understanding of myself in relationship to God and within my world. There are other details to the meaning I have spiritually made in my life.
I hope to be happy, but it is not necessary. For me meaning is necessary. Without meaning, there is no point…no purpose. That would lead to despair---a deep kind of sadness. With meaning, I can be ok with sadness and, even, bear suffering.
I was happy to find this article and a very thoughtful way to engage me in thinking about my life, my purpose, my spirituality. And I am really happy to know there is something “beyond happiness!”
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