Accepting who we are and wanting what we have
23 Nov 2012 | Paul Sternberg
Reflecting on the recent presidential election fever in the US,
I was reminded of the words of Rabbi Hyman Schachtel who
delivered the inaugural prayer for President Lyndon Johnston in
1965. Rabbi Hyman wrote that "happiness is not having what you
want, but wanting what you already have". In other words accepting
who you are, being appreciative of your everyday life and being
able to see the value in the things that surround you. This
wonderful expression from one of the great Jewish rabbis of our
time brings to mind the saying of another great spiritual figure,
Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was once asked by a western journalist if he
could explain the secret of his life in three words. "Three words?"
he replied. "Renounce and enjoy!"
Both Gandhi and Rabbi Schachtel are telling us something that we
know instinctively but rarely ever hear from our political leaders,
our schools, our television screens and our newspapers. It's
something that goes completely against the grain of our culture:
that to be happy we need to let go of trying to get what we want,
trying to get things to go our way, trying to feed the appetites
and desires that we are continually encouraged to think we need.
They try to point us to a life which can be lived with intention
and meaning in spite of, rather than because of, the trappings of
mainstream culture which in the words of economist Tim Jackson only
persuades us "to spend money we don't have, on things we don't
need, to create impressions that won't last, on people we don't
care about."
This is where the teachings of the great sages and the wisdoms
of the great faith traditions come into play. For they remind us of
the beauty and meaning in our everyday lives: of relationships, of
appreciation for what we have, of hope for the future, of the joy
in the small things, of overcoming difficulties, of providing a
source of meaning and purpose in our lives. These great traditions
and wisdoms of old remind us what science is now confirming: that
our lives and of those around us are like a rainbow where we are
never sure where one colour begins and another ends - in other
words we are so radically inseparable and interconnected that
reciprocity, generosity, compassion for others and altruism are
embedded within our emotional and psychological DNA.
And unlike the things we hear from our politicians, our schools
and our media these great faith traditions tell us something else:
that there is, in the words of the ancient Hindu scriptures, "a
secret dwelling in the lotus of our hearts." Whether it is Jesus or
the Buddha, the Prophet Muhammad or the great philosophers of
Ancient Greece, the Native American elders or the legendary Chinese
sages, they all tell us, albeit differently, the very same thing:
that our main purpose in life is to find this place in our hearts.
This is where silence, through meditation and prayer, through deep
contemplation and reflection can help us. Silence allows us to
reflect on the inner reality of which we know so little. It allows
us to still our minds, observe with detachment our conveyor belt of
thoughts, to become attentive to the presence of our true self.
A deeper encounter with silence, through meditation and its
related practices, doesn't mean that we have to drop everything and
go and live like a hermit on top of a mountain. And it doesn't mean
being 'religious' in a doctrinaire sense. But what it does mean -
and scientific evidence confirms this - is that finding an inner
stillness can lead to changes in our brains and can light up neural
networks of happiness, love, and wisdom within ourselves as we face
the challenges of a world that, in more ways than one, is becoming
overheated.
It is in meeting the challenges of living in today's world that
Action for Happiness is so important as movement of people taking
action to create a happier society. Our vision must be for as many
people as possible to live happy lives and as few as possible to be
anxious or depressed. This requires us to bring together the latest
scientific research with the wisdom of old; and to combine inner
peace and wisdom with an outer generosity and kindness towards
others. At the heart of this lies the recognition of the
essential importance of accepting who we are and wanting what we
already have.
---
Paul Sternberg is a consultant to media, business and
not-for-profit organisations and leads the partnership and
campaigns work at Action for Happiness. He has worked at the
Peter De Haan Charitable Trust, Nesta, Channel 4, The Ethical
Communications Agency and Business in the Community. He teaches at
Ravensbourne College and is on the Board of Trustees for Citizens
UK.
On 28 Sept Paul will be part of Just This
Day, a day of stillness and silence at St
Martin-in-the-Fields, where he and others will be reflecting on
what faith traditions tell us about how to live well.
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