Aware Happiness

Aware Happiness

by Marco M. Pardi

“Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.” George Washington.

All comments welcome and will receive a reply.

At a very young age I began to ponder a question which has remained with me to this day: Can a person be truly aware of what is happening in this world, even the impact one’s existence has and yet be happy? Humans have certainly devised a myriad of ways to achieve temporary, fleeting happiness. But is that achieved only through the suppression of our awareness? My early penchant for speaking out on unpleasant issues earned me such titles as “party pooper” and such advice as “You think too much”. I’m guessing every reader has experienced saying or doing something which dampened the mood while presenting realism into a conversation. The latest term I’ve heard is “buzzkill”. As if we’re all supposed to walk around buzzed, as in Brave New World.

But even as children we were taught about consequences. Some of those consequences may have seemed remote, and even illogical, for example the admonition to eat all our food because children were starving elsewhere. I wondered, why not just send this stuff to them? After all, if I eat it they won’t get any. Raised in Catholic schools I got early indoctrination into the concept of sin. What interested me most about the concept was the underlying logic, and its glaring flaws. Nonetheless, there were some valuable ideas there: sins of commission and sins of omission. Commission: Doing something. Omission: Not doing something. If not eating my food was bad, would not sending it to hungry kids be worse?

Of course, these were questions typical of a very young person, a person who just didn’t know “how things really work” in the world. But now my question is this: Having a far deeper and more comprehensive understanding of how things work, can I honestly say I’m happy in this world? Would saying I’m happy automatically ratify the many terrible things I see or learn about every day? If so, what would that make me? A sinner? Or, is there something worse? Many jurisdictions have laws setting punishments for people who know of crimes being committed but do not report them. Am I guilty of collusion, an accomplice during or after the fact, or just cowardice?

Speaking of guilt, there are many who say we are not supposed to be happy here; being incarnate in a physical body is claimed as a vehicle for learning (funny, I was always and still am happiest when I’m learning). So, is a state of happiness merely a break from an unpleasant class, a fleeting delusion that must be put aside? After all, our Constitution safeguards our right to “the pursuit of happiness”.

But is happiness a general state, or is it purely situational like anger, sadness, and other expressed emotions? And if the latter, what does that say about “the pursuit of happiness”? Group therapy sessions often have wall charts with various affective states listed. The participants are then asked to look over the list and state which of them they are feeling at the moment. Okay, but how about ten minutes later, or after an hour of listening to other people moan about their situations? I sometimes say, When I experience a fleeting moment of happiness my first thought is: Mini-Stroke.

On a societal level we somehow weigh potential or real infractions. One may look away as someone takes a pen home from the office, but how about taking the power of the office and using it for personal gain? Is your happiness diminished when someone else gets away with something, even when it does not directly affect you?

Every day I sign dozens of on-line petitions and write several on-line letters to people from the President on down to the local dog catcher. Obviously, many of those address issues which do not intimately affect me. And, what’s worse is that I live in a Republican dominated State; petitions and letters to my “representatives” surely go unread and, if I get any reply at all it is a form letter having nothing to do with what I sent. My letters to the White House have brought me enough meaningless replies to print out and wallpaper my home. I do recognize that my original letters, articulate and informed as they may be, have no influence on “Republican” politicians whose fundamental goal is the installation of a purely Fascist society which enables them to enrich themselves and their masters. I also send out letters and petitions to governments of other countries, to universities, and to private organizations and companies.

So why do it? Once in a while I get a message from an organization that sponsored a petition or asked for a letter telling me my efforts, along with thousands of others, made the difference in resolving the problem. I see that as a source of happiness, just as I see the comments submitted by readers of this blog. But even where I do not get an encouraging message, I feel efforts at churning out daily communications put people on notice that their behaviors – of commission and omission – are being scrutinized.

But perhaps I’ve been aware too long. Perhaps I need to regress to childhood and take what must have been Trump’s developmental path: develop the art of manipulation. I could start with developing a new Action Hero (is that still the term?): AwareMan. Instead of fighting for “truth, justice, and the American way” (Superman) AwareMan would fight for truth, justice, and full awareness of all animate and inanimate existence in the Cosmos. Too ambitious? Maybe. Right now I’m trying to decide how to dress AwareMan. Suggestions are welcome. I assure you I will respond personally.

Time to return to churning again. AwareMan is sensing there are petitions to sign and letters to write.