Happiness as Related to PURPOSE

In this post I want to pick up on the concept that I believe has a direct bearing on reaching and maintaining some variation of "HAPPINESS." I do believe that, ultimately, our Happiness is contingent on finding and living out our "PURPOSE." Just saying the word 'Purpose' opens the door for debate about all kinds of things like Origins, Intelligent Design, Creation vs. Evolution, etc. Regardless of our beliefs on these delicate issues, every thinking person would have to agree that there does seem to be some sort of "order" to the chaos we call "life on earth."

One of the most influential books of recent times (in reference to the millions who read and testify to being changed by the book) was written by Rick Warren and is titled "The Purpose Driven Life." Warren makes the simplest statements about how our life on earth is actually "DRIVEN" by our PURPOSE. Until we understand our Purpose (which has more to do with who we are than what we choose), our life will not make much sense. When our view of the world is primarily shaped by our opinion and how we "FEEL" about the multitude of events we are forced to evaluate, finding any resemblance of HAPPINESS will be very frustrating.

Our PURPOSE for existing is both objective and subjective. To suggest that we all appear one day on this cosmic planet just to find as much pleasure as possible is both short-sighted and self-consuming. I am reading a book called "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. He talks about how he once participated in a demonstration where President Bush was speaking. He joined with others to voice his dissatisfaction with Bush's policies in foreign countries where human rights were non-existent. Upon returning home Miller admits that he did not "FEEL" content about his participation in this "march" because he was not personally inconvenienced by his so-called stand. He states how he spends 95% of his time thinking about one thing -- HIM! I propose that this is the 'natural' world which all of us live in.

When our life-choices, attitudes, "feelings," etc. are primarily determined by this self-centric approach then "Happiness" will be determined by the next 'cause' or mission that we thrust ourselves into. Our emotions will be up and down, leaving us with a hollow existence that has difficulty with the deafening silence when our head is pillowed each night. We are very astute in taking care of both our needs and most of our wants. If our understanding of Happiness stems from having our personal desires met then we would probably evaluate ourselves as somewhat HAPPY. When things in our personal life start eroding (and they do), this thing called "Happiness" starts to seem hopeless. My encouragement in this practical, yet philosophical article is to propose that we can be "HAPPY" no matter what might we transpiring in our immediate situations.

Back to PURPOSE. Finding out exactly WHY we are here is a pursuit of the masses. In survey after survey people overwhelmingly say that if they could ask God anything at all it would be: "Why am I here?" Again, this verifies our 'self-consumption.' Wouldn't it be better to ask: "Since I am here (e.g. Descartes' philosophic breakthrough), how can I better the place I occupy on my short journey through life?" When we take this approach to life our perspectives become like a kaleidoscope (with the colors and everything!). We start responding to the opportunities that have been right in front of us for a long time. As time continues slipping into the future, personal gain and accumulation of stuff takes a back seat to the task of making our world a better place. In this pursuit, our PURPOSE will find us before we ever think about finding it! Inner peace, fulfillment, even contentment becomes our inner condition. Thus, happiness is so deeply entrenched in the totality of who we are that we don't have to ask or answer the question, "Are we HAPPY?" Our daily lives are the answer!

The journey continues...

Happiness Is...

In my last Blog article I wrote about the much desired but elusive condition that we call "HAPPINESS." As I thought about what it means to find "True Happiness" or to even be able to say that we are "HAPPY," my mind was like the steel ball in one of those old-time video games, bouncing between a myriad of thoughts on the topic of "HAPPINESS." In pursuing deeper thought on this vital topic, I find myself immersed in a comparison/contrast battle between cultural views on happiness, biblical guidelines, and the influence of deep-thinkers from both camps.

Disclaimer: Before making any comments, observations, or statements regarding the topic of Happiness let me assure you that I am on a journey to find truth on this topic for myself and for any person or people group who might read what I write or listen to my "talks." The purpose of sharing both my discoveries and dilemmas is to encourage you to "THINK" about how objective truth shapes your subjective reality. As always, I hope you are able to gain from anything I attempt to articulate; also know that I can learn much from you as well. So, here we go.

In our world there is the common misconception that "Happiness" stems from satisfying our basic "drives" or "desires." Expert advertising convinces us that we need 'MORE' and 'BETTER' of whatever appeals to us. Some believe money will make us happy while others think it will come through a relationship or good health. One possible reason why happiness seems so abstract and elusive in our culture is because it is contingent on so many different circumstances that are completely out of our control.

Obviously this is a consistent aspect of life that we are not going to change. What I am suggesting is that, since we cannot control situations that have major influence on our "HAPPINESS," shouldn't we look deeper for the kind of "Happiness" that survives through good times and seasons of painful trial? If we attach our "Happiness" to things that are likely to change we can expect to experience the "emotional roller coaster" that ebbs between happy and sad.

I want to present a statement that has huge potential (as well as major difficulties in such a diverse world of thought). But, here it is anyway:
TRUE HAPPINESS IS ONLY POSSIBLE WHEN WE ARE ALIGNED WITH OUR GREATER PURPOSE! Now, before commenting on or even formulating any conclusions, take some time to really think on this statement (this is called Meditation -- a lost discipline in our noisy world).

The key words in this statement are "Aligned" and "Purpose." I recently carried one of our automobiles to the shop to have the front end aligned. The car was riding fine but the tires were wearing out unevenly. This is a sign that something is "Out of Alignment." There is a certain setting that allows a car to perform at Maximum Capacity. (We could say that the car is "Happy" when things are aligned and set to factory design) Oh oh, there's a word that many people get tripped up on -- DESIGN! I am not interested in debating theories of our origins but social structures verify that we are all uniquely designed to accomplish different tasks. Thus, our PURPOSE. (I will begin the next blog article by talking about Purpose)

Let me end this post by reminding us of the POINT: What is True happiness? And, do we have any control over our happiness? This is the journey we are on. For now, think about the information so far and I really would value your input. As my friend (and sort of adopted daughter) Angie Mizzell says often in her blog, your input makes this journey so much more interesting. So, go ahead, share your thoughts, comments, questions, etc. with me. I'm all ears (or eyes since this is a word-driven media)