Life and liberty fall into ranks without hesitation but the pursuit of happiness always presents a moments stumble before mustering at the end of line. These three unalienable rights as itemized in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence often seem like the perfect couple out on a date with the oblivious third wheel tagging along. Indeed, life and liberty are weighty, consequential, and readily fall into the self evident category....but the pursuit of happiness by contrast comes across as almost flippant. It may be that the incongruity lies in the fact that life and liberty are states of being while the pursuit of happiness is a goal. An intention difficult to achieve. The resultant state of mind ever harder to maintain. Nonetheless, the wisdom of our Founding Fathers has been proved trustworthy as the pursuit of happiness has been embraced with perhaps greater passion than its elder siblings.
Have you been to a park lately? On any given day the pursuit of happiness is on full display in a kaleidoscope of activities.
Running... Walking... Yoga... Kite flying... Swimming... Kayaking... Football... Fishing... Sunbathing... Chess... Camping... Skate boarding... Bird watching... Geocaching... Beach combing... Catch... Paddle boarding... Skiing... Automobile primping... Barbecuing... Tree climbing... Photography... Guitar playing... Star gazing... Body building... Karate... Rock hounding... Writing... Plein-air painting... Whittling... Rollerblading .......
Oh, my personal favorite - treasure hunting.
The list goes on but in retrospect I may be confused. Mercy, I hear your gasps. Have I attributed these enterprises to the pursuit of happiness when in fact the participants were merely having fun? Words are important. More-so with each passing day. Now, fun is the short lived enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure triggered by external events and resulting in laughter and/or excitement. On the other hand, happiness is a longer lasting feeling of well-being and contentment generated by an internal state of mind which gives rise to a sense of contentment and satisfaction. Indeed, the specific meanings of these words can vary for each individual person and so it is that some might describe their day in the park as a "fun time" while others might say "the day's events made me happy". Regardless, to the degree that "fun" is a building block of "happiness", I suppose that my initial assumption was correct.
Of course, the pursuit of happiness is not limited to leisure time activities. We all pursue happiness within the realms of relationships, work, health, spirituality, creativity, and charity to name but a few.
You've heard it said that some people live to eat while others eat to live. Without doubt, my youth found me in the latter camp. The family dinner hour was quite often an inconvenience which regularly interrupted the neighborhood ball game. However, age has brought with it a heightened awareness of food. It is easy to attribute this consciousness to the fact that food, almost any food, tastes better now than it did at any time in the past. Yes, I've said before that my taste buds are the one part of me which are improving with the passing of years. But then again, pain really hurts as well. The two realities combine to form a hope that the nervous system as a whole is getting stronger but a lingering suspicion argues that to be wishful thinking.
All that to say that mealtime has become the high point for me personally as I chase after happiness. Not simply because the food tastes good but in the deeper relationships formed in the shared preparation and participation. The elevated awareness that eating healthy can not only be satisfying but actually allow this old body to feel good the next day. Dare I say that the quality, quantity, and variety of the our everyday diet has never been better. However, those words stick with the realization that not all share our abundance.
Further, a conscious appreciation has developed for the "mechanism" that has placed each morsel on my plate. Much of what we consume has traveled across the globe. Any number of individuals have performed their "cog in the wheel" operation in the farm to factory to ship to market to table machinery. One item on the supermarket shelf in and of itself is amazing. Multiply by the thousands and soon the mind is boggled. The economist Keynes might argue that the distribution of labor is determined by the interaction of supply and demand within the labor markets and Krugman has his say on the distribution of capital. Trust me - this skin-of-his-teeth Business and Economics major is far from qualified to argue with any of that. Nonetheless, the countless souls who have, and continue, to contribute to my quest for happiness is truly humbling - especially in light of the fact that the best of my hunter/gatherer days are long gone.
Yes, I see God's hand in all of it. From the seed sprouting roots to the backs aching through harvest and on to the vast logistics of the markets, yes, a transcendent power is on display. And that brings us to joy. Joy is the lifelong presence of happiness and satisfaction from which emanates a deep consciousness of peace, gratitude, and love. Some would say that joy is God given - me among them.
So let me leave you with a simple mealtime prayer that my Mother modeled before I could walk.
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