Happiness is . . .

I have a necklace that I like to wear. In fact, I wear it a lot. But when I put it on today, I thought of its words in a whole different context, the context of our current atmosphere in America.

The words on the mobius strip necklace are from Gandhi: “Happiness is when what you think and what you say and what you do are in harmony.”

Imagine that congruence. That happiness results from the congruence, according to Gandhi, is an interesting thought. Is that an Eastern religion thing or is it TRUTH?

I do think in my case, and the friends around me, that the intersection, like the common strip in a Venn diagram, is where happiness lies. I certainly know that I have less anxiety, less stress if I am in congruence. In balance. In sync.

And isn’t the assumption that the congruence is good thought, good words, and good deeds converging on happiness? But what if there are bad thoughts, bad words, and bad deeds? Is that person happy, too?

Gandhi doesn’t qualify (in this quote) that these are to be good actions and thoughts—only that the confluence of thought, words, and deeds must be aligned. Take Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, for example. Was he happy?

Given the current political divide, no matter which side you favor, surely we should all be wondering how to achieve the balance in a positive way. What if all of America’s people were in a state of happiness, but for some the happiness stems from a congruence of negativity and for others the happiness results from positivity?

What kind of a world are we talking about? Everyone is happy. But for opposite reasons. Can we compromise with one another from these states of happiness (given our individual sources of happiness) or would Americans be even more entrenched in the belief that each is right? What kind of America would we have is everyone were happy?

Can we hold onto happiness from a positive stance? I’m going to say yes. But, like marriage, one would have to work at it. But, going out on a limb here, I posit that happiness from an alignment of bad thoughts, bad words, and bad deeds would be transitory.

I expect that negative happiness, if it even can exist, would be in flux. Always something nastier to think, say, and do. Always comparing one person’s nastiness with others. Who can be “happier” through negativity, they might ask themselves?

But what a great premise for a novel, eh? Probably one of the futuristic dystopian variety. Everyone is happy. How do you keep them happy? And what are the consequences, foreseen and not, of a “happy” populace, particularly if happiness stems from negativity for some and positivity from others? Would negativity ultimately defeat positivity? Or would, in the end, the love you take equal the love you make?

If you found this an intriguing post, please share with others. Here are some copy/paste posts to use. Or make up your own!

Facebook: Gandhi said, “Happiness is when what you think and what you say and what you do are in harmony.” Does that mean evil people can be happy? Angelica French cogitates on the conundrum. http://bit.ly/2vt4BOX

Twitter: What’s the source of #happiness & can we work with others who have opposite sources? See @RomanceRighter’s post http://bit.ly/2vt4BOX