…..In
Tolstoy’s book War and Peace, the
Russian writer had his character Pierre Bezúkhov learn “that man is created for
happiness, that happiness is within him, in the satisfaction of simple human
needs, and that all unhappiness arises not from privation but from superfluity”
(trans. Louise and Aylmer Maude [1942], 1176). So often we find ourselves
striving for the superfluity. We are not content with what we have and think
that happiness comes from having more or acquiring more or being more. We look
for happiness but go in the wrong direction to find it…..
….. In the story The Little Prince, the fox was wiser than he knew
when he said, “Now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the
heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye”
(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, trans.
Katherine Woods [1943], 70). The odyssey to happiness lies in the dimension of
the heart. Such a journey is made on stepping-stones of selflessness, wisdom,
contentment, and faith. The enemies of progress and fulfillment are such things
as self-doubt, a poor self-image, self-pity, bitterness, and despair. By
substituting simple faith and humility for these enemies, we can move rapidly
in our search for happiness…..
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