The Pursuit of Happiness

Are you happy? No, seriously! Think about it. Are you truly happy? Hopefully your answer is yes. If you are happy, where does your happiness come from? What makes you happy? Is it your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend? Is it your job? Is it your car, the size of your house, the things that are in it? Does money make you happy? If you have all these things and they make you happy, then good for you! You are a happy person! Now let me ask you another question....

Are you truly happy with your earthly possessions, happy enough that you don't desire more? Does that happiness you get from the things and people in your lives truly fulfill you--permanently, or do you have to keep filling your house with more stuff to stay happy?

One of my favorite movies is The Pursuit of Happyness. Watch the clip from the movie below about happiness.



For those of you who haven't seen this movie, it's a true story about Chris Gardner, a down and out father who is trying to raise his son after his wife leaves him. Chris struggles to make ends meet for his son. At one point in the movie, as Chris is trying to get a job with a major financial advisory firm, he ends up homeless. But Chris doesn't give up. Chris has a goal. He has a vision. Chris is pursuing happiness.

At first glance, you may think that Chris is pursuing happiness in money, fame and possessions. That's because Hollywood glosses over a very important aspect of Chris' life--his faith. In an interview after the movie was released Chris said, "My faith is one of the strongest guiding forces in my life." Chris is a man of faith. His pursuit of happiness is sought through his faith, not earthly possessions. He also stated that "Money is the least important component of wealth." Chris' plan for wealth and happiness includes faith, it includes prayer. Wealth is found in your faith, not your possessions or bank account.

There is also another important component of the pursuit of happiness--and that is discipline. Many people think that a life of discipline (of following rules and guidelines) is stifling and restrictive--that it keeps us from doing what we want to do. They think that discipline will keep them from being happy. Chris Gardner was extremely disciplined in his pursuit of the job as a broker. Did it restrict his happiness and success? Did it stifle him? No, it brought him success. It brought him happiness.

Christ wants us to live a life of discipline, not to stifle and restrict us, but to bring us happiness--to bring us freedom. How does discipline bring us happiness and freedom? Think of an alcoholic. No one wakes up in the morning and says, "I want to be an alcoholic!" (At least not in my experience.) The descent into alcohol abuse, for many, comes from a lack of discipline. This is particularly apparent in teens who grow up to be alcoholics. Many teens start drinking out of rebellion to the rules and restrictions that their parents and the laws put on them. Some people start drinking alcohol because they think it makes them happy. For some, this begins the slow descent into alcoholism. They become slaves to it. They are not free because of their addiction. They are not happy.

God wants us to be happy. Matthew Kelly, in his book, Rediscovering Catholicism, says that "God sent his only Son to respond to humanity's yearning for happiness, and to offer direction in satisfying that yearning...The philosophy of Christ is the ultimate philosophy of human happiness. At the same time, the philosophy of Christ is one of self-donation." The pursuit of true happiness requires self-donation, it requires sacrifice and discipline. It requires faith in Christ. The reward of that faith, sacrifice and self-donation is a peace and happiness beyond our imagination, a happiness that fills us to the core.