Re-defining
Happiness
Charlie Earl
The second
paragraph of The Declaration of
Independence identifies our unalienable rights as “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Since that courageous
and glorious time in 1776 when our forbearers dared to challenge the power of
Great Britain by declaring their rights to self determination, philosophers,
political scientists, sociologists, psychologists and every other “gist”
imaginable has attempted to inform us about the “real” purpose of pursuing
happiness. Even theologians have weighed into the discussion by suggesting that
we follow ethereal pursuits rather than more mundane earthly ones. Over time
definitions of certain words tend to drift…to acquire new meanings or greater
nuance. Happiness may be, in my view, one of those words.
In today’s
environment we often think of happiness as representing either good times and
fun or passive contentment. One of my most treasured resources for writing is a
reproduction copy of the 1828 Noah
Webster American Dictionary of the English Language. Its definitions and
descriptions of common words of that era are much closer to the late 18th
Century versions than our present day dictionaries might be. The opening or
primary definition of “happiness” in the 1828 Webster is:
The agreeable sensations which spring from the
enjoyment
of good;.
Sadly….many
of our current definitions of happiness involves orneriness or debauchery. “Good”
rarely is considered a goal or by-product of our pursuits. For many the pursuit
of happiness appears to be an effort to escape the consequences of reality. The
tawdry nature of our current pursuits has led me to attempt to identify just
what our Founders were thinking when they incorporated the “pursuit of
happiness” into our founding manifesto.
In my view
the Founders wished for each of us to discover our own path for meaning or
significance in life. In other words…happiness is fulfillment… doing what we
can as best we can do it and reaping the satisfaction (monetary, emotional, and
psychic) of knowing we are unhindered in our efforts to reach our full
potential. Opportunity, potential and liberty were the driving sentiments
behind the Founders’ recognition that God had infused each individual with the
ambition for a life of meaning. Admittedly….not everyone would use the spark of
desire to light a path of fulfillment. Some would have their sparks
extinguished by others, and others would wander through life seeking their
personal pathways toward significance. The Founders understood that whatever
the outcome for an individual may be, the state or government has no right to
choose the pathway, close the trail or regulate the pace of an individual’s
journey.
Some people
are creators and builders, and some of them become captains of industry after
starting with small enterprises that blossom and grow into large ones. Others
long to own some land and work the soil to achieve the satisfaction of growing
and reaping. Some may prefer to spend many years develop the knowledge and
expertise to diagnose and treat the sick. There are those who wish to write, to
paint or sculpt and express their innermost selves through art. In many cases
people wish to teach or nurture others and experience the joy of watching a
student master a concept. A large number merely seek a satisfying job that
allows them to care for their loved ones. Each of us seeks meaning or happiness
in our own way for our own purposes. Government should not impede our search
through laws, regulations, rules or ridicule.
Government
should leave us alone so that we may exercise our inherent, unalienable right
to morally pursue happiness as we, ourselves, define it. Government programs, subsidies
and tax breaks create uneven playing fields and hinder the opportunities for
some in order to give advantage to others. Happiness is the search for meaning
and intrinsic value in life, and government should never be involved. Now if we
can get the in-laws to stay out of the picture, total joy will be attainable.
Charlie Earl
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