Happiness, that elusive state of bliss we all strive for and wish for our closest friends and loved ones, has been getting a lot of press lately. Search Amazon.com for non-fiction books about happiness and you’ll get over 2,000 results with titles like, “The Art of Happiness,” “The Architecture of Happiness,” and “Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill.”
I can remember back to a management 101 class in college where I was introduced to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. His theory is presented as a pyramid with our most basic, lower level physiological needs- air, food, water, sleep, etc. – at the base and the higher level, or “self actualized” needs at the top. What Maslow was basically saying is that if we don’t have food, water or air then none of our other needs (i.e. for friendship, intimacy, creativity, morality, etc.) can be met. Of course this makes sense. If I’m concerned about where I’m getting my next meal then how could I have time to pursue education or activities that build my self esteem? I think it’s an interesting commentary about our modern culture that happiness has now become something we that’s sought after, just like food and shelter once was (and still is for some, of course).
So when I read the article “What Makes Us Happy?” in the latest issue of the Atlantic Monthly I thought I’d be presented with the latest pop culture ideas on the topic. But I was pleasantly surprised but the article’s approach and presentation of the subject. The article, written by Joshua Wolf Shenk, discusses a longitudinal study (one done over a long period with a small sample size) out of Harvard that has been tracking the lives of a group of men over the last 70 years in order to discern what constitutes a happy life.
The current psychiatrist running the study is George Vaillant and he continues to survey and interview the men. The Atlantic article interviews him and tries to glean some pearls of wisdom about a happy life. From the article:
Most psychology preoccupies itself with mapping the heavens of health in sharp contrast to the underworld of illness. “Social anxiety disorder” is distinguished from shyness. Depression is defined as errors in cognition. Vaillant’s work, in contrast, creates a refreshing conversation about health and illness as weather patterns in a common space.
As an astrologer find this passage interesting, especially the part about “weather patterns.” What I took away from this article is that over the course of one’s life (or “common space” as it’s referred to above)- say 70 or 80 years- we’ll all experience changes, shifts, turmoil, love, failure, fortune, health, illness, and, at times, happiness. We’re all subject to these changing weather patterns. And, as the study shows, no matter how well-adjusted we may appear to be, no matter our socio-economic backgrounds, fitness, education, or any number of other factors, we’re all subject to the foibles and fates of being human.
At the end of the article the author speculates that the key to a good life lies in, “…not rules to follow, nor problems to avoid, but an engaged humility, an earnest acceptance of life’s pains and promises.” Again as an astrologer, I know these weather patterns- the pains and promises- can be mapped out based on our natal charts. Knowing what pains and promises lie ahead doesn’t guarantee one won’t be affected (nor will it guarantee happiness), but it can certainly help one better understand and put into perspective what’s truly important. And knowing what’s important is a step in the right, and happy, direction.
