*** g77 7/8 pp. 5-10
How Can Genuine Happiness Be Found? ***
(Published
by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society)
How Can Genuine Happiness
Be Found?
WHAT
A GOOD measure of genuine happiness
can be found now, and much greater happiness in the near future is a certainty.
This is not wishful thinking. It is based on
what is actually the case today in the lives of many hundreds of thousands of
people throughout the world, and also on what the future definitely holds for
mankind.
What are the key ingredients for happiness
now? The answers can vary a great deal, depending on who is making the
observation. For instance, some feel that there is no evil, and thus they
imagine that they can find joy in almost everything. But that is self-delusion,
as there are many things in this world that are very bad.
Some go to the other extreme. They find
hardly any good in anything or anybody; hence, there is no cause for happiness.
They have much the same outlook as did the ancient Greek poet Sophocles, who
said: “Count no man happy who is not dead.”
But those views are extremes. Somewhere in
between there is a balanced view of what leads to happiness. And, generally,
most authorities agree on several basic ingredients that are greatly needed.
Yet, at the same time, almost all such
observers ignore the most important ingredient for happiness! And when this is
ignored, the other parts begin to fail in time.
First, let us note some basic factors that
can make for a happier life even now in this troubled world. Then let us
identify the one ingredient more important than any other, and see how it
relates to much greater happiness in the future.
Appreciating What We Have
Certainly, much that is bad confronts us in
our daily lives. But, on the other hand, there are things for which we can be
thankful, things that can bring us some happiness if we would only take the
time to reflect on them.
One simple way that we might better
appreciate that we can enjoy some measure of happiness now is to consider
alternatives. Almost all of us can think of some tragedy that would lessen the
happiness we have at this moment. That being so, it means that we do have a
measure of happiness now, without such tragedies having happened. So, while we
may not feel very happy about our condition in life, it helps us to realize
that we are usually better off than we have imagined.
Appreciating what we have surely would
include appreciating life itself. While you may have many problems that can be
depressing, you still would rather be alive than dead, would you not? Only
mentally unbalanced persons commit suicide. Yes, life is “sweet,” and we cling
to it as long as we can.
The alternative to life is death, in which
there is no enjoyment whatsoever. As the Bible says: “As for the dead, they are
conscious of nothing at all.” (Eccl. 9:5) That is why the preceding verse
observes: “A live dog is better off than a dead lion.” (Eccl. 9:4) Being alive,
and human, is far superior to being a rock, or a tree, or an animal—or dead. We
can be happy that we are alive as humans, if we but take the time to reflect on
it.
Too, with the right viewpoint, many of the
simple things of life can give us added happiness. A pleasant sunny day is a
delight. So is the natural creation, such as the trees, flowers, animals,
mountains, rivers and lakes. Even in a crowded city, there are nice days that
we can enjoy and pleasant areas that can be a source of refreshment.
Are you able to see? Some people cannot,
being blind. Ask a blind person if he would be happy to get his sight back! Or
shut your eyes for a while and try to carry on your daily functions. You will
better appreciate how precious a gift your sight is.
The same is true with the senses of taste
and smell. You may have eaten a certain favorite meal hundreds of times in your
life, but when you smell it being prepared again, you are happy.
Yes, we are so constructed that we never
tire of the really good things in life. If we would ‘count our blessings,’ we
would appreciate them more and be happier.
Enjoying Work
Happiness requires activity. We are more
content with life if we have something useful to do. Work is actually a
blessing for us.
While it may seem desirable not to have to
work at all, that is not really the case. If everything were somehow
miraculously done for us, life would become incredibly boring. The reason is
that we were made to thrive on a proper amount of activity.
While the work you do may seem uninteresting
or unimportant, does it not make a contribution to your existence—helping to
pay your bills? Then it is important to you. And it is important to society in
general, for if all the seemingly routine or “dull” jobs were eliminated, how
long would society continue to function?
True, your work may not be as desirable as
someone else’s. But it almost always makes some contribution, not only to your
welfare, but to that of others also. If you look at it that way, you can feel
some satisfaction in trying to do your job well. As the monthly letter of the
Royal Bank of
“The worker who can do the little things well for which he is
responsible contributes to the success of the biggest enterprise, and the man
who devotes himself to his task with zeal and determination, using his best
ability, will have a sense of achievement, which is an ingredient of
happiness.”
A More Vital Ingredient
One of the more vital ingredients of
happiness has to do with our relationship with others. We cannot truly be happy
without the friendship, affection, warmth and understanding—yes, the love—that
comes from people.
True, in some places, such as crowded
cities, one might at times wish that all the people would disappear. But who
would really want to be completely alone? While that may sound appealing for a
little while, the fact is that we cannot find genuine happiness without other
people, even if we are disappointed or angered by them at times. No man in
solitary confinement for any length of time was made happy thereby.
But it is not merely having others around us
that brings happiness. What really matters is our showing love, a vital
ingredient needed for happiness. And the kind of love, the kind that will bring
the best results, is a love based on right principles, as well as being warm
and affectionate.
“Love: The Most Important Ingredient in
Happiness,” declared a headline in Psychology Today. And it
reported this comment by psychologist Robert M. Gordon:
“Love is by far the most important resource in people’s lives.
It plays the biggest role in forming values that guide life choices and lifestyles.
Someone who experiences a shortage of love in childhood is unhappy then, and
also develops values that perpetuate the unhappiness in later life.”
Often, when love is missing and its
resulting happiness is absent, money or material goods are substituted. But
such things can never be adequate substitutes for the happiness that comes from
human relationships where love is shown.
Does this mean that if we lacked love in
childhood, we can never be truly happy? No, because love can be cultivated,
developed, at any age. Why is this so? Because we were made to love and to
respond to love as an inherent part of human sociability. God created us with
this capacity. And love can be rekindled regardless of earlier disappointing
experiences in life.
Yes, we are born to want love and to respond
to the love of others. Maclean’s magazine of
Canada notes:
“The responsive smiles of babies, the first entrancing show of
happiness, have been studied by many scientists, . . .
“They found a universal human pattern: until the age of six
months, babies of every race will smile at any friendly adult almost
invariably.
“Mankind shows this instinctive sociability in the fact that
babies infrequently smile at toys or feeding bottles, but almost always smile
at people.”
The “Golden Rule”
What others do affects our happiness. And
what we do affects the happiness of others. We simply cannot escape the fact
that our happiness is intertwined with the lives of many other people, our
families, our friends and others.
To the extent that it is within our power,
we should do nothing in the pursuit of our own pleasure that will damage the
happiness of others. This principle is called the “Golden Rule,” which is
contained in the Bible. It was Jesus Christ who said: “All things, therefore,
that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.”—Matt. 7:12.
When you treat others like that, with love,
kindness, honesty and impartiality, what will happen? Just like the baby who
responds to your smile, so other people will respond to your good treatment of
them. True, not all of them will. But most of them will react favorably toward
you.
This will add to your happiness, for as
Jesus said: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.’’
(Acts 20:35) An illustration of this is the grandmother whose husband had died.
She wrote:
“Now that [my husband] is gone, I am giving to my children and
grandchildren . . . which gives them much pleasure. But to be
perfectly honest, when I give to them, my pleasure is far greater than theirs.”
If she had not “given” to others she would
have denied them some happiness, and would also have denied herself a good
measure of it. She discovered the truth of what English philosopher John Stuart
Mill observed when he said that the only really happy people are those “who
have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the
happiness of others.”
Fine Results
When the right kind of love is shown between
people, all the barriers that divide them can be broken down. Jehovah’s Witnesses
in all nations know that this is so because they have observed the fine results
of impartially showing love toward others. They put forth the effort to
practice the “Golden Rule,” to practice “giving.”
That is why, on a worldwide scale, they have
progressed further than any other people in overcoming the divisive barriers of
nationalism and racism. For instance, after a group of over a hundred Witnesses
from Nigeria traveled to an assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Pennsylvania,
U.S.A., a spokesman for the Africans said:
“The wonderful part of such a visit is to see firsthand how
Jehovah’s people live like one large, happy family and fulfill Jesus’ words at
John 13:35 when he said, ‘By this all will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love among yourselves.’”
Similarly, two new attenders
at meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses observed: “The thing that impressed us the
most was the loving concern of the Witnesses for one another. The thing we
value most at present is this loving association.” A newly associated person in
New Mexico wrote: “I attended a few meetings and was impressed with the love
and kindness the congregation showed me.” When another man who changed his
former undesirable way of life for the better way was asked what helped him to
do so, he replied: “Someone showed love to me. Someone was interested in me.”
It was Jesus who said: “You must love your
neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:39) And showing neighbor love includes being
cooperative, as well as respecting the rights and property of others. When that
is done, good things often result. For instance, after a recent assembly of
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kelowna, British Columbia,
Canada, the supervisor in charge of the arena wrote to the Witnesses:
“In my twenty or more years around this arena, never before have
I been required to write such a letter as this one. This is the first time, and
likely my last, that I have ever written to a tenant to sincerely thank him for
such excellent cooperation as has been offered to the arena staff during this
event.
“Your brothers and sisters involved in the administration and
general duties pertaining to this convention have, without exception, been most
helpful, and have made this event one of the most enjoyable duties we have been
required to handle since coming into the arena management business.
“Thank you for coming to our arena. We hope we are still on duty
when you return.”
Also, when Jesus said to “love your neighbor
as yourself,” this surely included the closest neighbors we have. These would
be members of our immediate family. Since the family was created by God, it is
only reasonable that happiness could be found in it.
Here, too, when we apply the “Golden Rule,”
and practice unselfish giving of ourselves to others in the family, there are
fine results. Many a family on the verge of breaking up has been greatly
strengthened and made happier by doing what Jesus said. And the more these fine
principles of behavior are applied, the happier the family will be. Ignoring
them can bring damage that may not be repaired.
Too, there are many simple pleasures in
family life that can be sources of happiness if we would only think about them.
One example is related by Maclean’s magazine:
“Historian Will Durant tells of looking for happiness in
knowledge and finding disillusionment. He looked for happiness in travel and
found weariness, in wealth and found discord and worriment. He sought happiness
in writing and was fatigued.
“One day he saw a woman waiting in a tiny car with a sleeping
child in her arms. A man descended from a train and came over and gently kissed
the woman and then the baby, very lightly so as not to waken him. The family
drove off together across the fields and left Durant with a stunning
recognition of real happiness.
“He later wrote: ‘Every normal function of life holds some
delight.’”
Yes, appreciating the good things that we do
have, and showing the right kind of love at all levels of human relationship,
works wonders for improving happiness. This is so even in a world that is
filled with trouble.