Happiness is a habit even during Covid. The meaning can vary, depending on the person and circumstance. In the United States, the talk of a second stimulus check is giving people hope. But this is like ‘Waiting for Gadot‘. It may or may not happen. When it does happen, it’s only temporary. On the other hand, long term happiness can be achieved through action.
Aristotle believed that ‘happiness’ was not a ‘state’ but an ‘activity.’ Thus ‘happiness is a habit’. Happiness is the end product of our actions. The phrase, ‘pursuit of happiness’, coined by John Locke was later incorporated into the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson.
We can achieve happiness by doing. In other words, developing skills and applying them. But those skill sets should be up to par with the task at hand. For instance, if you want to bake bread, learn how to do it. If you want to be happy baking bread, learn how to do it well. Aristotle is not saying you have to be the ‘best’ in the field, you just have to be involved in the activity. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1 should provide more context. Keep in mind that Aristotle also believed that you cannot be happy if you are not a virtuous person. This goes back to our mantra, “To Thine own self be true” and why integrity matters!
Last July, we started a series called, “Harvesting Abundance“. It was to demonstrate that people don’t have to live in ‘victimhood’. And why it was important to get out of the ‘poorness’ business. We will add more blog posts similar to our July post. It is much better to be self reliant. You have more options when you are free to make choices.
