A Pagan
Perspective on Finding Happiness
Morgan
Daimler Feb 11, 2014
What makes you happy? One thing that religion often does for people,
or gives people, is an idea of what should create or nurture happiness. In the Norse there is the Havamal, a
collection of wisdom sayings attributed to the God Odin which outlines advice
for right living. This includes the core
idea, I believe, that happiness is found in appreciating what we have and doing
the things we can within our circumstances. We see this in verses such as:
“36.
Better a house, though a hut it be, A man is master at home; A pair of goats
and a patched-up roof Are better far than begging.” (Bellows translation)
And:
“70. It is better to live than to lie a corpse, The live man catches the cow; I
saw flames rise for the rich man’s pyre, And before his door he lay dead.
71.
The lame rides a horse, the handless is herdsman, The deaf in battle is bold;
The blind man is better than one that is burned, No good can come of a corpse.”
(Bellows translation)
Similarly
in the Irish we see wisdom texts like The
Instructions of King Cormac Mac Art and The
Testament of Morann which suggest the ideas that happiness is supported by
right living and moderation. Both
cultures seem to share the idea that being happy isn’t about what you have –
whether possessions or skills – but about making the most of what you have. This is an idea that is very much at odds with
our modern American consumer culture and it can be hard to reconcile the two. How do we find a sense of happiness with what
we have when we are constantly assailed by messages telling us we should want
more and better? How do we feel happy
about our skills and abilities when we are constantly surrounded by images of
perfection?
In the end our spirituality should support us
in finding happiness by nurturing our sense of satisfaction with what we have
against the wave of cultural pressure. While
both the Irish and Norse also encourage ambition and striving for excellence,
we should never lose sight of the happiness to be found in our current
circumstances. As the Havamal says,
better a small house than no house at all; better living than dead. No matter how difficult or stressful our life
may be there is happiness to be found in it as well, even if only in small
moments and little pleasures.
So as you go through your day, ask yourself,
what makes you happy? Do you value it
enough, or do you take it for granted?
2 Responses to “A Pagan perspective on finding
happiness”
Mike
the Heathen Feb 12, 2014
Was recently informed that I failed to advance
to the final round of candidates for a promising job opening. The news was crushing, especially since I felt
that I had done very well in the interview and was an excellent fit for the
position. Also, financially speaking, unemployment
compensation has long since run out and new employment is urgently needed.
Yet I awoke the next morning with a smile on my
face. I’m grateful for the interview
experience gained (all interviews are great practice for the one that
eventually lands you a job), grateful for the revelation of resume shortcomings
(time to update and expand my social media skills), and even grateful for the
blunt fact that my best suit has become uncomfortably tight and no longer fits
well… which inescapably informs me that I am NOT making a good physical
impression and it is high time to get serious about getting healthy.
In the past, I would have easily slipped into a
“woe is me” victim mentality. But my
faith has given me the perspective that these circumstances are entirely of my
own making… both in deeds done (eating too much comfort food; watching too much
TV) and in deeds left undone (not exercising enough; not exploring Twitter,
Instagram, etc.). If I want better future outcomes then that is
entirely up to me.
So I agree with your analysis. Happiness is a natural result of an ongoing
process… making good decisions and acting upon them again and again over time. Meanwhile, it certainly helps to laugh at my
own foolishness and to be deeply and daily appreciative of those who love me
despite my myriad flaws.
Ann
Marie Somma Feb 12, 2014
Thanks for sharing your story, Mike. Hang in there. Things will change. In the meantime, hold on to what Morgan wrote:
“better a small house than no house at all; better living than dead.”.
Blessed Be!
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