Many of you know (and are probably tired of hearing) of my key to understanding life. That is, that life is wavy. I use the sine wave as the symbol of that key. The latest example of this waviness playing out is the results of the recall election of Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker.
Surely, the public union employees were happy with their financial lot in life. And, when Scott Walker succeeded in engineering a small reduction in that happiness and then also took away the primary mechanism for gaining that happiness, it made them mad. When protests and the occupying of the Wisconsin Capital building did not restore their happiness, they decided to spend enormous amounts of money to recall the Governor.
It's hard to believe that those happy people could so fool themselves to not see the folly of their happiness. Once the recall was underway, those building the case against Governor Walker realized the pension and collective bargaining issue was a losing strategy. And, indeed, it was.
But this shouldn't be a surprise. Happiness is not a good teacher. I believe the derivation of the word happy comes from an ancient word that carries a meaning of something that "happens" to you, resulting in you being happy. "Good fortune" and "lucky" are also words carrying a similar meaning.
What is a good teacher is adversity. The famous British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli said, "There is no education like adversity." A state of happiness can only result in disappointment. What people should strive for is moderation in all things and a balance in life. Contentment should be sought, not happiness. Let happiness happen, do not strive for it.
Wisconsin public employees have had their good fortune and now will face a period of adversity. I'm sure they will learn. Arizona public employees were smart enough to maintain a much more reasonable compensation and retirement regime and certainly will benefit on a relative basis.
My new book Turning North is now available as an e-book. The printed version will be available soon. The striving of Charlemagne and others during the "Dark Ages" is a lesson on what to do and not to do.
KEEP CALM and CARRY ON
Thoughtful take about happiness, Dave. I think you've hit the nail on the head. So many are striving for mere happiness when a deeper contentment is probably what they really want and need.
ReplyDelete