“It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?”
- Will Smith as Christopher Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from the book Don’t Ask Stupid Questions – There Are No Stupid Questions by Tim Brownson.
There is a line in the United States Constitution with which goes:
“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.”
It’s the last part that I want to talk about, the pursuit of happiness. Now far be it for me as a Limey to say I think the founding fathers got this bit wrong, but I think the founding fathers got this bit wrong.
I realize that I’m sticking my neck right out there, but bear with me here before you hack at it with a rusty scythe because there is an element of method to my madness.
The pursuit of happiness while not necessarily a folly is certainly not something I would encourage you to do. What’s that? A Life Coach not encouraging somebody to be happy? Is he insane or high on a cocktail of bourbon, paint fumes and chest rub?
Well, that isn’t really what I meant. Of course I want you to be as happy as you can be but also to realize that it’s not always possible. When circumstances dictate to the contrary, I don’t want you feeling even worse because you are wasting half of your energy trying to remain cheerful and upbeat when there is no need to.
It really is OK to feel down. The truth is you need some lows to experience the highs. If you spend your life trying to fight the inevitable you are going to end up disappointed, dejected and dispirited.
Life has huge ups and downs, it was designed that way. No matter who you are you will pass through good times and bad times, happy times and sad times. As adults you’re almost certainly going to encounter sickness, frustration, arguments, melancholy, pain, misery and ultimately death. Sorry to be the bringer of bad tidings, but most people will be hard pressed to say they feel happy during any of those times.
So if we are not going to pursue happiness, what is the alternative? What do I think it should really say?
Well how about: ….”that among these are Life, Liberty and peace of mind”?
OK I admit it’s not quite as snappy as the original and it needs a bit of work, but I like the idea, I think it’s got legs.
If you were a Genie and could offer me one wish I would chose peace of mind. Well, maybe world peace or an end to hunger would come first, but if you insisted, benevolent Genie that you are, that I take something for myself, then peace of mind it is thank you very much.
Imagine if you become ill but you retain your peace of mind, that you lose your job but stay calm internally or of you lost a loved one but could grieve without torturing yourself for all the things that you should have done and said. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?
Peace of mind leads to contentment, which in turn leads to a greater chance of happiness. You can’t be stressed and have a peaceful mind, you can’t be worried or guilty or revengeful or angry or any of the other emotions that do not serve you with peace of mind
The phrase pursuit of happiness indicates that happiness is an external thing and that it’s actually always moving away from us. But happiness is internal and it’s always with us, if we chose it, and the more peace of mind we have, the easier it is to make that choice.
Tim Brownson is a UK born Life Coach and NLP Master Practitioner now living in Orlando, Florida. He coaches people one-to-one either face-to-face or via the telephone. The preceding has been a sample chapter from his new book Don’t Ask Stupid Questions – There Are No Stupid Questions. If you have enjoyed this article you can read his blog at www.adaringadventure.com/blog/wordpress.
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March 19th, 2008 at 6:22 am
OK, I guess I have to be the antagonist here. (The tagline of my site is Life, Leadership, and The Pursuit of Happiness after all…)
I agree that peace of mind is a choice. I also agree that life entails suffering - there is no avoiding it. However, the pursuit of happiness is not the same as the avoidance of suffering! If I pursue my dreams, I’m not avoiding my nightmares!
The founding fathers got it right. Each individual has the right to pursue their dreams - that which they believe will make them happy. (although few actually exercise this right) I can be wrongfully imprisoned based on my religious or political beliefs - and still have peace of mind. It would be difficult to pursue happiness in that situation. They also understood that life is a journey - the declaration doesn’t guarantee happiness, but the right to pursue happiness as each individual sees fit.
We live in a different world than our founding fathers. Few of us have lived under true tyranny. Despite the social class each of us was born in - we had the opportunity to rise to whatever level we chose based upon our abilities and desires. This is what our founding fathers provided for us - opportunity.
This is the true meaning of the pursuit of happiness.
(If you still think I may be wrong - ask a young person in Darfur whether they would like peace of mind - or the freedom to pursue their dreams…)
Thank you for your thought provoking post!
Bruce
March 19th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
If peace of mind is achieved haven’t we also exercised our right to pursue happiness, and perhaps even found it?
March 20th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Noa Rose,
Not to belabor a point, but I don’t think a government can grant “peace of mind” - it is something that can only be achieved on your own.
What a government can do is protect an individual’s right to say, write, and practice their beliefs without government interference. (Something that was not protected by the English Monarchy).
Please don’t misinterpret - I think Tim is an excellent writer, and I agree with all of his points in this article - except the underlying analogy. The founding fathers (specifically Jefferson) were not writing a treatise on spiritual development - they were defying a type of government that was predicated on the concept of “noble birth”. A society where your quality of life was determined by who your parents were - rather than your abilities and ambitions.
(I think if you pinned Tim down in a corner - he’d concede that fact. I’m pretty sure England operates under a similar government now.)
March 21st, 2008 at 9:58 am
[…] Chasing the Pursuit of Happiness - Tim Brownson has released an excerpt from his new book Don’t Ask Stupid Questions - There Are No Stupid Questions on The Next 45 Years. While I disagree with his underlying analogy (see the comments on the article), he makes the very valid point that sometimes we get too caught up in the stress of pursuing our goals rather than being at peace with the journey. […]
March 26th, 2008 at 5:21 am
I don’t really care about the underlying analogy with the US Constitution - maybe it just wasn’t the best fit - but I agree whole heartedly with Tim that pursuing happiness outside ourselves is a mistake.
It doesn’t matter how many goals you have or how many of them you achieve, it won’t necessarily lead to happiness. There are happy highs in life and these can often be found in achievement and goals, but that wonderful feeling of inner peace and contentment - what I see as enduring happiness - that comes from within. From deciding that you’re okay and everything is as it should be, whether it’s perfect or not.
Cheers
Kelly
March 26th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Agreed Kelly.
I love my life, I don’t make anything like the money I made in sales, but I’m content with what I have. That doesn’t mean I don’t want more, it just means that I don’t have to have it to be happy. Am I persuing my dreams? Sure I am, but my happiness is not linked to them being fulfilled. Am I pursuing happiness? Not at all, I already have it within me.
I think we’re maybe tripping over semantics here.
April 19th, 2008 at 8:24 am
‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ comes from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. He argues that a mostly non biological definition of personal happiness is the ultimate good. Pursuing this kind of happiness acts as an ultimate goal focusing lens which helps us find a balance between many forms of ‘extreme’ self destructive behaviors.
Historically, the Nicomachean Ethics did not achieve the level of study it deserved because it rejected the arbitrary assertion that ‘the good’ is some form of conformity to society or religion. Hierarchy structured command and control societies and religions systematically erased it from history by way of what we now call propaganda and brainwashing techniques. All that is left is a copy of his study notes which are somewhat disorganized.
The founding fathers and mothers were largely Aristotelians. The idea of a constitution which restrains government power by holding it publicly accountable comes from Aristotle.