This past weekend the NYTimes Op-Ed Columnist Roger Cohen wrote an opinion piece called The Happynomics of Life, addressing the British Prime Minister James Cameron's decision to measure Britain's levels of well-being via a national happiness index. Of course the Index is not perfect, but it gets at such an important issue in our society and the way we live our lives.
Here's a few lines of the article that made me ponder: "Now most people have enough — or far more than enough by the standards of human history — but the question remains: “What’s going on inside their heads?” Little that’s good, it seems. Stress has become the byword for a spreading anxiety. This anxiety’s personal, about jobs and money and health, but also general: that we can’t go on like this, running only to stand still, making things faster and faster, consuming more and more food (with consequent pressures on prices); that somehow a world of more than seven billion people is going to have to “downshift” to make it, revise its criteria of what constitutes well-being."
Most of us in the western world have more money and more at our disposal than we ever have, but how do we really feel inside? Are we fulfilled? Constant access to media, the advancement of technology and the increasingly faster pace of information thrown at us means our senses are constantly bombarded with information and our minds and bodies are striving to keep up. We're also addicted to oil, consume mindlessly, and as concerned as we may be about our health we aren't getting any healthier as a nation whether that be the fault of brilliant marketing and lobbying on the part of food companies or our own disinterest (though some progressive and inspiring thinkers and motivators like Jamie Oliver, Mark Bittman and others are making valiant efforts to change our relationship with food and nutrition). I'm all for stimulation, efficiency, access to information, and capitalism, but is all of this truly additive and supportive to our well-being and happiness? Are we concurrently forgetting to notice and appreciate those moments that we truly live for?
I know that the joy I get from buying something pretty, just because, is fleeting and I know that wanting to earn more and more money just makes me greedy and is in no way truly satisfying as an end in itself, and yes, I've come to appreciate Twitter - I love feeling a part of something, reading insightful tweets, and learning all sorts of facts from my fellow Tweeters - but I'm happy that I also know exactly what allows stress to melt away and to truly feel happy. I've come to gravitate toward activities, good deeds, personal interactions, and knowledge. For me making memories is more gratifying and makes me much more lastingly happier than a material possession (unless that material posession, like the Nikon D7000 camera that I've been eyeing for months, can bring me hours of satisfaction and fun and inspire my creative spirit!)
I'm thankful I have a job that I love, that I'm able to pursue my passions, that I'm surrounded by wonderful and caring people and I hope to never take those things for granted. And while I can keep acquiring material posessions, I try to maintain balance, and seek out the moments that make me feel alive and healthy and that I can relish and keep in my memory bank so that one day I can reflect on them and feel an enduring sense of well-being. It's about what Cohen described as "feeling the transcendent power of the human spirit." Coincidentally, someone at the Interdependence Project also cited the same paragraphs from Cohen's article and insightfully wrote, "Many think of happiness as something that might happen one day, and will generally involve them finally getting what they way. A career, a relationship, status. And in the interim....happiness isn't really something we even imagine possible."
So rather than hoping and waiting for happiness to one day arrive at our door step why don't we embrace the present, take in the special moments that we experience every single day and realize that everything we want in life is right here. Let's also not let our imaginations run amok to the extent that we imagine or live in fear of situations that may not ever become reality. Instead, have faith that if we ever have to face tragedy we'll be okay; somehow we'll make it work.
Since I've moved to New York City almost 4 years ago, I've come to appreciate nature and the pace that nature sets - steady and balanced - more than ever before. I feed off of and adore the energy of this city, but this newfound need to breath in fresh air, feel sand between my toes, and spend time in nature is my soul's way of telling me that while my external environment is wonderfully stimulating I do at times need to rebalance and regain perspective. I do need to take care of myself and my well-being and I'm constantly discovering how.
So take a moment. And ponder the most recent moments of happiness in your life. Will they keep you healthy, happy, and fulfilled? If you think so, strive to notice them and keep relishing.
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