Lode Baptist Chapel
The Pursuit of Happiness
And before all you keen-eyed readers start reaching for your red pen, I do mean
happyness with a 'y'. This is the title of a film I saw recently
starring Will Smith in a retelling of a true story about the life of Chris
Gardner, an ordinary guy who wants to provide for his family. The dream,
however, starts falling apart - his wife leaves him and he and his son face one
desperate struggle after another. At one point in the film he reflects upon the
words of Thomas Jefferson in the US Declaration of Independence that everyone
has the right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". Why
only the right to 'pursue happiness' he asks - is happiness itself
unobtainable? Or is it perhaps, only in the act of pursuit, that this thing
called happiness is found?
It does seem to be true that we spend more time pursuing happiness than enjoying it. We always seem to think that it lies just out of reach - that next pay rise, that new house, that new plasma screen TV... then I'll be happy! For thousands of years philosophers have mused upon happiness and have realised that short-term gratification often requires trade-offs that cause negative repercussions in the longrun. Aristotle observed that just as fish must be happy when they are swimming, and birds happy when they are flying, so the route to happiness for humans lies in the unique abilities that we possess. Happiness is thus defined as "a full use of your powers, along lines of excellence in a life-affording scope"which means that we will find long-term satisfaction when we put all of our efforts into fulfilling our unique vocation in life.
Jesus says something similar to this is what we call 'the parable of the talents' where the ones who wisely use the gifts that they've been given are invited to "come and share in your master's happiness."Although a talent actually referred to a unit of currency, the meaning of the parable can equally apply to the skills and abilities we each have. I believe each one of us is given these specific 'talents' because we all have a unique and God-given purpose to fulfil - a hole in the world that only we are able to fit.
According to such a definition happiness is not linked to the acquisition of material possessions or wealth. This can be seen to be true in the lives of numerous 'rich' celebrities who are clearly unhappy, and in the huge smiles of African children who have so little. For the sake of justice it is important to work towards a fairer world, but although money may mean better health and better education, we in the 'rich West' know that this won't automatically mean more happiness. Indeed, the Greek word for happiness is 'eudaimonia' and literally means 'well-soul'. Rather than being a result of physical or emotional factors, the word suggests that 'happiness' is related to spiritual well-being. This is backed up by the extensive research suggesting that religious people are happier and less stressed.
So, in your own 'pursuit of happyness' perhaps you could benefit from asking yourself the question 'is it well with my soul?' and from seeking God, the one who can guide you towards your unique purpose in life.