The Secret to Happiness

Many people these days wonder “What’s the secret to Happiness? I have a good job, I earn good money, I have the latest toys/goodies/gadgets, I travel frequently, but I can’t seem to find happiness. What’s the deal?”

Actually, for thousands of years people have asked this question. Philosophers, teachers, religious leaders have spoken about the topic of Happiness in countless ways.

When we’re in our 20s and early 30s, our lives tend to be very complicated. Among jobs, friends, leisure-time activities, family, education, things are really hectic. By the time we hit our 40s and 50s, however, we find that our frantic lives simply don’t give us much, or any, pleasure, and we wonder what happened to that elusive Happines for which we were chasing for so many years.

Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning covers this point with powerful eloquence. A survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Dr. Frankl found his greatest happiness in living a life full of meaning: being of service, creating value, doing something to make this a better world. To paraphrase Matthew 10:39: “Whoever shall find his life [live a life based on ego, acquisitiveness, gamesmanship, lust] shall lose it [life loses meaning, and there is great suffering in the soul], but whoever gives up his life for me [sacrificing selfishness, acquisitiveness, ego, etc. to help or be of service to others] shall find it [experience great satisfaction and a profound sense of purpose].”