Great takeaways and practical applications, as always.
I do hope we, as a society, can find a way to get more teens volunteering in meaningful ways—and not just the required service learning which amounts to checking a box for graduation and often does not create long-term volunteers. Both of my teens have engaged with meaningful volunteer work that has offered them amazing opportunities to connect with multigenerational groups and has pushed them out of their comfort zones in many ways—not to mention making them feel like contributing members of our community! The key has been choice and buy in, which resonates with what you share in this piece, Michael. We volunteered a lot as a family when they were young, but as they got older, I encouraged them to select opportunities that best fit their interests: library for my oldest and community garden that donates all food harvested to the local food bank for my youngest. These experiences have contributed greatly to their happiness, for sure!
I just go ahead and sign my son up for volunteer work without telling him and then let him know I did so and that he has no choice but to go complete it 😂
Great stuff. One build I have is to try to celebrate the small things. I’m generally terrible at this. I cross shit off the top of my-do list and move on the the next. I realized I needed a bit more “yay” in my life. So my wife and I try to get a bit more excited when we can count something as a win. Like even a high five or being a bit extra with praise for the kids.
Finland and Denmark...damn....gotta be the saunas.
The precipitous drop in the U.S. also sticks out in the graph. Not sure if 2022-2023 was all that different here than 2023-2024? I need to dig into the numbers.
Happiness is something you don't see being discussed very often though we are continuously being bombarded by things we are told that are going to make us happy. The problem is that we don't understand happiness. You talked a little about this in your two books but IMO you didn't quite get to the heart of happiness.
Happiness is an emotion. It is within the mind. There is noting in the external world that will make us happy. We can be in the perfect place surrounded by loved ones, but if our mind is agitated with anger we will not be happy. It has to start in our mind first and for that we need a calm and peaceful mind. A mind that is agitated and roiled with emotion will not be happy. Anger, hatred, delusional attachments to things that excite our mind causes mental agitation and robs us happiness. Through meditation we can learn to make our mind calm, peaceful which will lead us to a happy state mind.
The other thing that helps us to be happy is when we are working for the benefit of others. You touched on this in your second book when you were working at the monastery. Those men were happy because they were working for the benefit of others and not themselves. Today, as you have pointed out, social media wreaks havoc with our mind. In part because it makes everything about "me". There is no concerns for others.
I fear that until we learn that happiness is within and not outside of us and until we starting caring more about living beings and our environment happiness will continue to decline in this country
Happiness is indeed a complex and often misunderstood concept, especially in today's society where external influences constantly bombard us with promises of happiness through material possessions or fleeting pleasures. Your observation about the importance of understanding happiness from within is profound.
True happiness, as you rightly pointed out, is an emotion that originates within the mind. It's not dependent on external circumstances but rather on the state of our own mind. Even in the most perfect external conditions, if our mind is troubled by negative emotions like anger, hatred, or attachment, true happiness will elude us.
Meditation is one powerful tool that can help us cultivate a calm and peaceful mind, which is essential for experiencing genuine happiness. By training our mind through meditation, we can learn to let go of destructive emotions and cultivate positive qualities like compassion, kindness, and patience, which are key to inner peace and happiness.
Additionally, you touched upon the importance of altruism and working for the benefit of others as a source of happiness. This aligns with the concept of "selfless happiness," where true joy is found not in selfish pursuits but in actions that benefit others.
In today's society, where self-centeredness and materialism are often glorified, it's crucial to remember that true and lasting happiness comes from within and from caring for others and our environment. By cultivating a peaceful mind and a compassionate heart, we can contribute to a happier and more harmonious world.
The point about lasting happiness being impossible is so vital. It’s in our nature to be dissatisfied with how things are. Buddhists had this figured out a long time ago!
Great takeaways and practical applications, as always.
I do hope we, as a society, can find a way to get more teens volunteering in meaningful ways—and not just the required service learning which amounts to checking a box for graduation and often does not create long-term volunteers. Both of my teens have engaged with meaningful volunteer work that has offered them amazing opportunities to connect with multigenerational groups and has pushed them out of their comfort zones in many ways—not to mention making them feel like contributing members of our community! The key has been choice and buy in, which resonates with what you share in this piece, Michael. We volunteered a lot as a family when they were young, but as they got older, I encouraged them to select opportunities that best fit their interests: library for my oldest and community garden that donates all food harvested to the local food bank for my youngest. These experiences have contributed greatly to their happiness, for sure!
I just go ahead and sign my son up for volunteer work without telling him and then let him know I did so and that he has no choice but to go complete it 😂
Great stuff. One build I have is to try to celebrate the small things. I’m generally terrible at this. I cross shit off the top of my-do list and move on the the next. I realized I needed a bit more “yay” in my life. So my wife and I try to get a bit more excited when we can count something as a win. Like even a high five or being a bit extra with praise for the kids.
Finland and Denmark...damn....gotta be the saunas.
The precipitous drop in the U.S. also sticks out in the graph. Not sure if 2022-2023 was all that different here than 2023-2024? I need to dig into the numbers.
2/3 of happiness is piness
Happiness is something you don't see being discussed very often though we are continuously being bombarded by things we are told that are going to make us happy. The problem is that we don't understand happiness. You talked a little about this in your two books but IMO you didn't quite get to the heart of happiness.
Happiness is an emotion. It is within the mind. There is noting in the external world that will make us happy. We can be in the perfect place surrounded by loved ones, but if our mind is agitated with anger we will not be happy. It has to start in our mind first and for that we need a calm and peaceful mind. A mind that is agitated and roiled with emotion will not be happy. Anger, hatred, delusional attachments to things that excite our mind causes mental agitation and robs us happiness. Through meditation we can learn to make our mind calm, peaceful which will lead us to a happy state mind.
The other thing that helps us to be happy is when we are working for the benefit of others. You touched on this in your second book when you were working at the monastery. Those men were happy because they were working for the benefit of others and not themselves. Today, as you have pointed out, social media wreaks havoc with our mind. In part because it makes everything about "me". There is no concerns for others.
I fear that until we learn that happiness is within and not outside of us and until we starting caring more about living beings and our environment happiness will continue to decline in this country
Happiness is indeed a complex and often misunderstood concept, especially in today's society where external influences constantly bombard us with promises of happiness through material possessions or fleeting pleasures. Your observation about the importance of understanding happiness from within is profound.
True happiness, as you rightly pointed out, is an emotion that originates within the mind. It's not dependent on external circumstances but rather on the state of our own mind. Even in the most perfect external conditions, if our mind is troubled by negative emotions like anger, hatred, or attachment, true happiness will elude us.
Meditation is one powerful tool that can help us cultivate a calm and peaceful mind, which is essential for experiencing genuine happiness. By training our mind through meditation, we can learn to let go of destructive emotions and cultivate positive qualities like compassion, kindness, and patience, which are key to inner peace and happiness.
Additionally, you touched upon the importance of altruism and working for the benefit of others as a source of happiness. This aligns with the concept of "selfless happiness," where true joy is found not in selfish pursuits but in actions that benefit others.
In today's society, where self-centeredness and materialism are often glorified, it's crucial to remember that true and lasting happiness comes from within and from caring for others and our environment. By cultivating a peaceful mind and a compassionate heart, we can contribute to a happier and more harmonious world.
The point about lasting happiness being impossible is so vital. It’s in our nature to be dissatisfied with how things are. Buddhists had this figured out a long time ago!
P.S. Love, love the new podcast feed!
High highs, low lows, you can't appreciate one without the other!