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Even though happiness is perhaps one of the most important things in life, science still can not explain much about it.\u00a0 Its concept itself is elusive.\u00a0 Is it an idea, emotion, virtue, philosophy, ideal, or is it just programmed in the genes?\u00a0 There is no agreed upon definition for it, yet\u00a0 still everyone seems to be selling happiness these days – drug dealers, pharmaceutical companies, Hollywood, toy companies, self-help gurus, and, of course, Disney, creator of the Happiest Place on Earth.\u00a0 Can happiness really be purchased?\u00a0 Is happiness achieved by maximizing pleasure, earning fame and fortune, or living a life of unlimited leisure?\u00a0 The series of articles will briefly explore the evolution of happiness in Western thought, followed by the present cultural understanding in the West.\u00a0 Finally, the meaning and a few means of attaining happiness in Islam will be discussed. Evolution of Happiness in Western Thought<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Christian idea of happiness was based on a reported saying of Jesus,<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026now is your time of grief, I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy<\/span>\u201d (John 16:22)<\/p>\n The Christian idea of happiness was developed over the centuries and, in turn, rested on a theology of sin, which, as St. Augustine explained in The City of God, taught that because of Adam and Eve\u2019s original transgression in the Garden of Eden, true happiness was \u201cunattainable in our present life.\u201d[1]<\/span><\/p>\n In 1776, Thomas Jefferson, summarizing a good century of reflection on the subject in Europe and America, deemed the \u201cpursuit of happiness\u201d a \u201cself-evident\u201d truth.\u00a0 By this time, the truth of happiness had been declared so often and so confidently that, for many, it scarcely needed evidence.\u00a0 It was, as Jefferson said, self-evident.\u00a0 To secure the \u201cgreatest happiness for the greatest number\u201d had become the moral imperative of the century.\u00a0 But just how \u201cself-evident\u201d was the pursuit of happiness?\u00a0 Was it, in fact, so obvious that happiness was our naturally intended end?\u00a0 Christians confessed that human beings pursued happiness during their earthly pilgrimage, but remained skeptical about its attainment.\u00a0 Elsewhere, Jefferson himself was pessimistic whether the chase would ever be brought to a satisfying conclusion.\u00a0 \u201cPerfect happiness…was never intended by the Deity to be the lot of one of his creatures,\u201d he specified in a letter of 1763, adding soberly that even \u201cthe most fortunate of us, in our journey through life, frequently meet with calamities and misfortunes which may greatly afflict us.\u201d[2]<\/span> To \u201cfortify our minds\u201d against these attacks, he concluded, \u201cshould be one of the principal studies and endeavors of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Whereas in the fifth century, Boethius could claim that \u201cGod is happiness itself,\u201d[3]<\/span> by the middle of the 19th century, the formula was reversed to read \u201cHappiness is God.\u201d\u00a0 Earthly happiness emerged as the idol of idols, the locus of meaning in modern life, the source of human aspiration, the purpose of existence, the why and the wherefore.\u00a0 If\u00a0 happiness was not, as Freud said, \u2018in the plan of Creation,\u2019[4]<\/span> there were those ready to alter the handiwork of the Maker to put it there by manufacturing, consuming, and exporting it as democracy and free-market economy (materialism).\u00a0 As the philosopher Pascal Bruckner observed, \u201cHappiness is the sole horizon of our contemporary democracies.\u201d\u00a0 As a surrogate religion, materialism relocated God to the shopping mall. Happiness in Western Culture<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In our culture, it is commonly believed that happiness is achieved when you become rich, powerful, or popular.\u00a0 The young want to be that popular pop idol, the old dream of winning the jackpot.\u00a0 We often seek happiness by removing all stress, sadness, and irritations.\u00a0 For some, happiness lies in mood-altering therapies.\u00a0 Eva Moskowitz, a historian, gives some idea of the American obsession with the gospel of therapy: \u201cToday, this obsession knows no bounds\u2026there are more than 260 [different kinds of] 12-step programs in America.\u201d[5]<\/span><\/p>\n One reason we have so much trouble attaining happiness is that we have no idea about what it is.\u00a0 Consequently, we make poor judgments in life.\u00a0 An Islamic tale illustrates the relationship of judgment with happiness.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, great sage, Nasrudin,\u201d said<\/p>\n the eager student, \u201cI must ask you a very important question, the answer<\/p>\n to which we all seek: What is the secret to attaining happiness?\u201d<\/p>\n Nasrudin thought for a time,<\/p>\n then responded.\u00a0 \u201cThe secret of happiness is good judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh,\u201d said the student.\u00a0 \u201cBut how<\/p>\n do we attain good judgment?<\/p>\n \u201cFrom experience,\u201d answered<\/p>\n Nasrudin.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d said the student.\u00a0 \u201cBut how<\/p>\n do we attain experience?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cBad judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n An example of our good judgment is knowing that materialistic comforts by themselves do not lead to lasting happiness.\u00a0 Having reached that conclusion by our good judgment, we do not retreat into our comforts.\u00a0 We continue to crave a happiness that seems out of reach.\u00a0 We make more money thinking that is the way to become happy, and in the process neglect our family.\u00a0 Most big events we dream of yield less sustained happiness than we hoped for.\u00a0 In addition to getting less happiness than we expected or hoped for, we frequently do not know exactly what we want, what will make us happy or how to get it.\u00a0 We misjudge.<\/p>\n Enduring happiness does not come from \u2018making it.\u2019\u00a0 Imagine someone could snap their fingers and give you fame, fortune, and leisure.\u00a0 Would you be happy?\u00a0 You would be euphoric, but in the short run.\u00a0 Gradually you would adapt to your new circumstance and life would return to its normal mix of emotions.\u00a0 Studies show that big lottery winners after a few months are no happier than the average person!\u00a0 To recover the joy, you would now need an even higher high.<\/p>\n Consider, too, how we have \u201cmade it.\u201d\u00a0 In 1957, our per-person income, expressed in today\u2019s dollars, was less than $8,000.\u00a0 Today it is $16,000.\u00a0 With doubled incomes, we now have double the material goods that money can buy – including twice as many cars per person.\u00a0 We also have microwave ovens, color TVs, VCRs, answering machines, and $12 billion a year worth of brand-name athletic shoes.<\/p>\n So are we happier?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 In 1957, 35 percent of Americans told the National Opinion Research Center they were \u201cvery happy.\u201d\u00a0 In 1991, only 31 percent said the same.[6]<\/span> Meanwhile, depression rates have soared.<\/p>\n God\u2019s Prophet of Mercy said:<\/p>\n \u201cTrue enrichment does not come through possessing a lot of wealth, but true enrichment is the enrichment of the soul.<\/span>\u201d (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)<\/p>\n Footnotes:<\/p>\n[1] City of God, (XIX.4-10). (http:\/\/www.humanities.mq.edu.au\/Ockham\/y6705.html).<\/p>\n[2] Notes for an Autobiography,\u00a0 1821.<\/p>\n[3] De Consol. iii.<\/p>\n[4] Civilization and Its Discontents, (1930).<\/p>\n[5] In Therapy We Trust: America\u2019s Obsession With Self-Fulfillment.<\/p>\n[6] Center for a New American Dream, 2000 Annual Report. (http:\/\/www.newdream.org\/publications\/2000annualreport.pdf)<\/p>\n www.islamreligion.com.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even though happiness is perhaps one of the most important things in life, science still can not explain much about it.\u00a0 Its concept itself is elusive.\u00a0 Is it an idea,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-truth-of-islam"],"yoast_head":"\n
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