Barry's Blog

"Happy New Year!" We've probably already used that greeting many times as the year winds down, and we look forward to what 2006 will bring. And if we think about this simple greeting, we might ask ourselves, but doesn't every American want to be happy? And happy ALL the time? An article in the Op-Ed section of today's New York Times by Darrin McMahon entitled, "In Pursuit of Unhappiness," gave me reason to reflect on the phrase, especially during this festive season of glad tidings and good cheer. The article, taken from McMahon's forthcoming book, Happiness: A History, not only gives us a historical perspective on the pursuit of happiness in America, but also gives us insight about ourselves, what is important to us.

While our emphasis on mirth might seem like a timeless wish, as though seeking happiness is synonymous with being human, McMahon points out that this preoccupation with endless bliss is a relatively recent phenomenon. He quotes Thomas Carlyle, who observed in 1843, "'Happiness our being's end and aim' is at bottom, if we will count well, not yet two centuries old in the world."  Carlyle was pretty accurate, as history suggests that it was not until the 17th century that "happiness," in the form of pleasure or good feeling, became not only morally acceptable, but commendable in and of itself.

This shift in the cultural landscape was profound, and its implications far reaching. While in an earlier day happiness was perceived as belonging to the Next World, as people saw signs of God's blessings in earthly satisfactions, the heavenly vision was dimmed, so that suffering was no longer understood to be our natural state. "Happy" was now the way we were meant to be, not in the life to come, but in this temporal life. Among the implications of this new perspective, the holiday season was transformed from a time of pious worship into one of unadulterated bliss.

According to McMahon, Carlyle's major insight, that the new doctrine of happiness tended to raise expectations that could never possibly be fulfilled, is without question as relevant today as it was in 1843. Despite having more time-saving devices, far better living standards, and more avenues for pleasure than ever before, we are arguably no happier than our ancestors. And yet, come January, as in years gone by, the self-help gurus through their books and seminars will promise to make us happier. Interestingly enough, the very fact that there is such a demand for these products would lead one to believe that they aren't really working. And if we are honest with ourselves, we might even admit that all the talk about holiday cheer (with those TV commercials with perfect families where everyone gets along great) creates more depression, blues, and sadness, than cheer.

Thomas Carlyle's long-time rival, and sometime friend, the philosopher John Stuart Mill, came to a similar conclusion about the false promises of holiday cheer. Yet, rather than resign himself to gloom, Mill committed to look for happiness in another way: "Those only are happy," he concluded, "who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way."

McMahon, a professor of history at Florida State University, ends his fine article with a wise word for us all: "For our own culture, steeped as it is in the relentless pursuit of personal pleasure and endless cheer, (Mill's) message is worth heeding...So in these last days of 2005 I say to you, 'Don't have a happy new year!' Have dinner with your family or walk in the park with friends. If you're so inclined, put in some good hours at the office or at your favorite charity, temple or church. Work on your jump shot or your child's model trains. With luck, you'll find happiness by the by. If not, your time won't be wasted. You may even bring a little joy to the world." 

Pretty good advice for living in a narcissist, pleasure-seeking culture.

For Finishing Well,

Barry Morrow

"In Pursuit Of Unhappiness," by Darrin McMahon, The New York Times Op-Ed Page
Thursday, December 29, 2005, p. A27
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/29/opinion/29McMahon.html