Should we strive to be happy all the time?

There appears to be a backlash against ‘constant’ happiness. Do we need to be happy all the time? Should be strive to be happy all the time?

Harvard Business Review (July-August 2015) has an article exploring the ‘happiness backlash’ by investigating the ‘seemingly universal insistence on feeling good.’ The author, Alison Beard, points to a growing body of happiness books that promise to help people strive to be happy.

However, since about 2009 there is also a growing trend in rethinking happiness. With titles such as Bright-sided; Rethinking Positive Thinking; The Upside of Your Dark Side; The Upside of Stress; Beyond Happiness; and The Happiness Industry – How the Government and Big Business Sold us Well-Being, most are telling readers about a new message – the relentless promotion of happiness might be counterproductive. The obsession with thinking that you have to feel happy all the time is stressful.

The authors of these books are not arguing against happiness, but that it should be moderated by aspiring for a ‘generally happy life’ rather than ‘an always happy life.’

They say that instead of striving for ‘happiness’ people should be aspiring to reach a state of ‘long-term fulfillment.’ Hence the word ‘happy’ should be replaced with the word ‘flourishing.’ For example, instead of asking ‘Are you happy?’ the question should be, ‘Are you flourishing?’ Others, such as Arianna Huffington, use the word ‘thriving.’ As in, ‘Are you thriving?’ Others think the question should be, ‘Do you love life?’ – in other words, giving happiness an external aspect rather than an internal one.

Daily or constant happiness, the author of the article states, is not the means to long-term fulfillment. People pursue fulfillment in different ways, and in life there are cycles or waves of happy times and not so happy times. But the aim is to have, over a longer period of time, a ‘generally happy life.’

But does lack of fulfillment mean unhappiness? Should people wish others a fulfilled birthday? And what would children sing at school – If you’re ~~happy~~ flourishing and you know it clap your hands? And what would Pharrell Williams sing? Clap along if you feel like ~~happiness~~ fulfillment is the truth … Maybe Bobby McFerrin would sing Don’t Worry, Be ~~Happy~~ Fulfilled.

Comments

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

The Knight in the Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli (2015 translation): book review

The Knight in the Panther Skin (12th century, this edition 2015) is a recent translation by American poet and author, Lyn Coffin. The author, Shota Rustaveli, is Georgia’s most loved poet. This poem is mammoth, a magnum opus – it is 1,656 verses long, separated by chapters. But readers, don’t give up, because every verse is worth reading. It is akin to 1001 Arabian Knights, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, or Shakespearean poetry. King Rostevan of Arabia has a daughter, Tinatin. She loves the knight Avtandil and he loves her. Verse 368 from Avtandil: ‘The doctor’s could do nothing. A dark twilight on my heart now pressed, I was on fire because of love, but nobody knew or guessed. They blamed my blood. The king decided bleeding my arm would be best; I let it be done to hide the suffering I had not confessed.’ But a knight in panther skin is seen weeping, and subsequently kills the king’s soldiers, sparing the king. Before Tinatin weds Avtandil she r...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog