Happiness--what's that? Is it found in having people in our lives
who care for us and for whom we care about or is it found in having people
who stroke our egos and whose egos we stroke in return? Is it found in
having decent shelter and warmth or is it found in having a nicer, newer,
bigger home than our neighbours? Is it found in seeking for ourselves
or sharing of ourselves?
In our uber competitive culture we see
self-serving raised up as the ultimate source of meaning and means of
creating happiness in our lives. Who is this "self" that we so desperately seek to
serve? And at what cost to the environment and to those whose competitive ability is not
fully intact? (Not that intact competitive ability is something that should be prized, rather that in our culture it is something that social/economic survival largely depends upon.)
This brings me to my dear brother-in-law
Andrew's MacCormack's first documentary called Searching for Simplicity which he made in his early twenties while on travels in South
America with friends. For those people in S. America whom he encountered, happiness was not nearly as tied up in stuff and comparison as it is for many in N. America. Rather the root of their happiness lay in simplicity: in having basic needs met and
living closely with family and friends. It wasn't tied up in excessive choice of goods and services
either. Corporations would have us N. Americans believe that choice is a
reward of capitalism but in reality many consumers are weary of choice overload.
Eco-localism
is one response to such overload. Thanks to imports we have far more
than we need as far as goods are concerned on this little island we call Prince
Edward Island and still not everyone's basic needs are being met. And because of having access to far more choices than we
need, we develop wants that we confuse with needs. Our attempts
to seek happiness through fulfillment of those wants reaffirms our
dependence on a system which sees us degrading our natural environment. This further ingrains an underdevelopment of the local culture and
economy. (The very high cost, both actual and environmental, of imported
goods reduces our food security on PEI as well.)
So what is there for us to do in response to such challenging times? Plenty if we are courageous and thoughtful!
From Pema Chodron's heart strengthening book entitled Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change come the following words of wisdom:
"In their prophecy of 2000, the Hopi elders said that in order not to be torn apart by these turbulent times, we have to let go of the shore and stay in the middle of the river, in the unceasing flow of life. But they didn't say we have to do this alone. 'See who is there with you and celebrate,' they said. 'The time of the lone wolf is over.'"
As often occurs within the individual on a spiritual journey, I am
inclined to believe that we as a society are entering a period of being stripped away. That
perhaps the degradation of our environment and the social and economic
crises are forcing a stripping away of comfort and security. What remains may not be pretty, but
it will be real. And I for one would rather see real ugly than fake
beauty. How we choose to respond to what remains may be where our
greatest hope for beauty lies.
Pema Chodron would call us to be warriors in our response to the living of our lives:
" 'We are needed.' We make this journey for the sake of ourselves, our loved ones, our enemies, and everybody else. Since we all share the same planet, it's crazy to continue acting in ways that will destroy it."
Perhaps the most radical response we could be making is towards increasing the breadth and depth of our COURAGE and LOVE for the world. Maybe we could work on transforming our
understanding of ourselves in relation to all other beings in
the universe. Once we stop seeing ourselves as separate from the
entirety of it all we will be free to realize our connections to each
other and to the rest of nature. Is happiness found in this?---it is
certainly blissful in my own personal experience.
In beauty,
Jill
