Beyond Happy

I ran across an online blog that begins with these questions: 

What is the meaning of life?

How can purpose, fulfillment, and satisfaction in life be found?

How can something of lasting significance be achieved?

The narrative goes on to describe how to achieve personal happiness in life based on a variety of religious beliefs and altruistic activities.  It's true.  Religion has its place as a way of helping us focus the natural spirituality inside us.  Organizations (like churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and a wide range of service groups, clubs and associations) offer valuable social support to keep us grounded and provide opportunities to help others. Unfortunately, sometimes these organizations become the sole source of direction for our lives by providing what turns out to be a very wide range of instructions that we follow with varying degrees of adherence, all with the stated intent of making us happy. Some even dismiss temporal earthly hardships with the hope of a better life after death—as if that’s supposed to make us happy and satisfied today.

But is “the pursuit of happiness” really the meaning of life?

It goes well beyond that.  It has to.  Setting aside the question, “What can I get out of life?” and digging deeper to the soul within each of us, I think it’s possible to discover an awareness of existence of you as an individual within a much larger society of living beings and feel a desire to ask the simple question, “What can I be—or, more specifically, what can I do—in order to fulfill the destiny I have as a person living here in this time and place?  Would knowing that help me find the best societal outlets to exercise these traits to the most benefit of me, my family, my community and society as a whole?  And finally, would achieving some measure of success in being that kind of person result in a satisfaction and (gasp) happiness now?

We all know people who seem to (as the saying goes) “have it all together.”  They may appear more wealthy or confident or successful or happier than us.  There are organizations (religious and otherwise) that profess membership or adherence makes you a better person (than those around you); and yet, in my observations, being a better person doesn’t really seem to depend on how much money you have (or don’t) or what you eat (or don’t) or what you say (or don’t) or where you go to church (or don’t).  Being a better person—however you may define the term—seems to depend more on the attitude of the individual.  It’s not necessarily something you can see, but something you feel.

Japan's most famous swordsman, the legendary Miyamoto Musashi wrote what he called the 21 precepts of Dokkodo, just prior to his death in 1645.  This list is a stunningly simple, common-sense code of thought and behavior that makes a lot of sense, even today:

  1. Accept everything just the way it is.
  2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
  3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
  4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
  5. Be detached from desire your whole life long.
  6. Do not regret what you have done.
  7. Never be jealous.
  8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
  9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself or others.
10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
11. In all things have no preferences.
12. Be indifferent to where you live.
13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.
14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
15. Do not act following customary beliefs.
16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
17. Do not fear death.
18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honor.
21. Never stray from the Way.

Looking beyond what you see

I consider my wife a good judge of character.  I rely heavily on her “first impressions.”  My grandmother was one of those people too—people who could size up a person or a situation and know just what to say or do in the moment.  It’s a valuable skill to have, but not something I think can be learned.  Rather, we probably all have the sense within us to understand others, but we fail to foster the talent by focusing so much on ourselves. 

I have a long way to go in that regard, but as I have honestly tried to “look beyond what I see,” I have begun to see that there are a handful of simple, basic traits or characteristics that comprise the best of our human society.  Where individuals or groups have embraced them and also shed the egotistic acts of self-promotion, they have flourished—not necessarily monetarily, but in terms of their success in improving the world around them.  Furthermore, these characteristics of effective human endeavors transcend identification with a particular group, race, culture or organization.  They are truly universal. 

I’ve begun an ongoing list of such traits and tried to start finding examples of their application by people and groups Worldwide.  I’m convinced that focusing on and fostering a few, essential human qualities will literally change the world and the quality of life for everyone and everything in it. It all starts with an individual desire on the part of each of us to assume these as a part of everything we do every day. And then the next step is to find and embrace those people and organizations that honestly profess and practice them and avoid those who do not.

I’ll start. I know I’ll trip and fall and start over again, but I’m willing to try.  That’s all any of us can do.  Here’s my list so far. Click them to go to another post on that topic.

Unconditional Love

Profound Gratitude

Universal Kindness

Genuine Faith

               and another here

Respect for Life

Mercy and Forgiveness