The Pursuit of Happiness

The Declaration of Independence states:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

We often think of happiness as something we are chasing, and never able to catch up with.  "Once we can afford a bigger house, then we'll be happy."  "Once I find my soulmate, then I'll be happy."  "When I finally lose all this weight, then I'll be happy."

What did the pursuit of Happiness mean to the founding fathers?  Jefferson said happiness meant tranquility and occupation.  For Jefferson, occupation meant mainly his intellectual pursuits.  What if we started defining the pursuit of happiness as the love of learning; the freedom to think for yourself?  Or as the ability and privilege of loving another human being?  (For more information on this, go to http://www.neh.gov/whoweare/mccullough/lecture.html)

Here is a parable that illustrates this idea:

Parable of the King's Emerald

Young Rupert stood by the side of the road watching an unusal number of people hurry past.  At length he recognized a friend.  "Where are all of you going in such a hurry?" he asked.

The friend paused. ... "The King has lost his royal emerald! ... Everyone is searching, for the King has offered a reward ... to the one who finds it.  Come, we must hurry."

"But I cannot go without asking Grandmother," faltered Rupert.

"Then I cannot wait.  I want to find the emerald," replied his friend.

Rupert hurried back to the cabin at the edge of the woods to seek his grandmother's permission. ...

But his grandmother shook her head.  "What would the sheep do?" she asked.  "Already they are restless in the pen, waiting to be taken to the pasture, and please do not forget to take them to water when the sun shines high in the heavens."

Sorrowfully, Rupert took the sheep to the pasture, and at noon he led them to the brook in the woods.  There he sat on a large stone by the stresam.  "If I could only have had a chance to look for the King's emerald!" he thought.  Turning his head to gaze down at the sandy bottom of the brook, suddenly he stared into the water.  What was it?  It could not be!  He leaped into the water. ... "The King's emerald!" he shouted.

With shining eyes Rupert ran to his grandmother's hut to tell her of his great find.  "Bless you, my boy," she said, "but you never would have found it if you had not been doing your duty, herding the sheep."  And Rupert knew that this was the truth.

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I love this parable!  Too often we look for happiness and everything that will make us happy outside of ourselves.  We truly find happiness when we put first things first and when we "tend the sheep."  Rupert didn't find the King's emerald by running around looking for it like all the others were doing.  He found the emerald by taking care of the sheep and being where he was supposed to be.  As we focus our time and attention on loving those around us (whether or not they deserve it;) and learning and growing, we will discover that happiness has been inside us the whole time!

Please leave me a comment below and tell me some of the things that make you happy right now!!!