The Long View Today, too many of us feel that instead of soaring through our life, we are slogging knee-deep through an uncharted swamp, entangled by economic pressures and political gridlock. We desperately want to find a way out, but our myopic and often corrupt politicians, keep leading us deeper into the mire. We see technology transforming all around us at blistering speed while we ourselves feel stuck in the mud, still trying to fulfill our New Year’s resolutions from four years ago. Scientists altruistically keep inventing new ways to repair the damage from humankind’s unethical behavior and shortsightedness, but science can only do so much because war, poverty, slavery, and corruption are not tech problems. Biomedicine provides us pills that make us briefly less depressed or less anxious, but when the pills wear off, we find ourselves back where we started—staring right in the mirror wondering, what do I do now? Information technology cannot bring meaning into our life, or cause our hearts to brim with gratitude. It cannot give us the courage to shed our skins and become new people. All of these aspects of happiness, fulfillment, and becoming actualized human beings are our individual work alone. To fulfill our potentials and to express and activate our dormant capacities, are a human being’s highest aim, and an aim that causes us to be of the greatest service to others. As I have said, we will not see meaningful change in the world without transforming ourselves on a personal level. The good news is that we can do just that. And when enough of us become self-aware, kinder, and truly happy human beings, many of the world’s biggest challenges will cease to exist. People who are addicted to entertainment are not likely to want to be interrupted to help others, but people who know the difference between meaningful action and distraction are more likely to reach out and lend a hand. A self-aware human being has foresight and is more likely to make decisions and to vote based on the common good—not just for today, but also for several generations in the future. Whereas individuals haunted by their past, carrying a lifetime of anger toward their parents or ex-spouse and repeating negative patterns over and over again, are likely to forever seek out ways to numb their unaddressed pain—even being willing to trample over others in the process. It is difficult to feel empathy and generosity when your heart feels like it is trapped in a vise clamp. We owe it to ourselves, to our loved ones, and to our community to heal our past so that we can join them whole and happy. Help people remember who they are and what they are capable of, and when in doubt, just remind them that you respect and care for them. Excerpt from: There Is No App for Happiness
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 02:38:24 +0000
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