For those of us who chase after feelings of magic and enlightenment in our lives, we have the end game formed like a lazy blob of a cloud inside of our heads, projecting our greatest aspirations and dreams onto them.
If we can ever quite decide what these dreams are, or if we can truly believe in them coming true.
Spirituality is a unique shadow inside of our personalities. It represents the connection we have with ourselves and the environment. It doesn’t matter if we identify as Catholic, Muslim, Agnostic or an atheist, we each have a system of belief that is as unique as our own fingerprints.
And we all want the same thing.
Happiness.
But we don’t always quite know what happiness should look like.
For some, it’s money, for others it’s love and family and career.
And maybe’s its the simple achievement of a long-desired goal. Maybe happiness is being the first-place winner of a marathon, starting a business or outdrinking your buddies for the first time.
Or it could just be you bathing in a tub full of money. Exfoliating with coins.
Regardless of what your ideal outcome is, there’s a good chance that it may not make you happy in the long run. Sometimes what we want is not always what we need.
And we need happiness. The right kind.
I’ve came up with a phrase that is guaranteed to bring happiness if you endeavor to make it a part of your everyday reality.
“Happiness is the genuine delight we experience while in service of those in need.”
Think about that for a moment.
It’s a big statement worth unpacking.
“Genuine delight” should mean what it says. Genuine enthusiasm and pleasure with no trickery or pretensions involved. Joy and passion is being authentically felt in whatever it is you are experiencing. Even if it involves eating more than a few delicious chocolate almonds than should be allowed. Like I am doing right now. *crunch crunch*
We then have to define the word “service”, as many of us associate it with bland mechanical dealings. Like getting an oil change. Assisting someone with directions or nightly patrolling a crime-infested neighborhood while wearing a superhero outfit that is a little too snug in all the wrong places.
There is more to service than that.
Service should be taken to mean, “in duty towards the greater good”. What is the greater good? Who gets to decide? Each person has a different idea of what the greater good is don’t they? Hitler certainly did.
The answer to that last question is actually no.
The way “greater good” can best be universally understood and agreed upon is this:
“To effect positive change in the world”
Of course, being that I am a stickler for detail and clarification — we have to further agree upon what the word “positive” really means.
Positive: “To go in the direction of that which promotes harmony, love, beauty, truth and justice.”
For positive change to happen, an action has to be taken that makes even the smallest declaration of the above five principles.
Harmony. Love. Beauty, Truth and Justice.
With the understanding that happiness is derived from honoring one of the five principles; existence becomes well-justified when it is made a goal to bring about and demonstrate these aspects in our daily lives with others.
But what do such actions look like? How do we know what makes the right amount of difference? How do we decide on what someone really needs in order to feel “genuinely delighted”?
That’s for you to figure out.
For myself, I am at my happiest when I get lost in a whirlwind of inspiration and come up with creative ideas to bring into the world. Stories. Poetry. A witty saying. An intelligent observation.
I’m also at my happiest when I listen to music that I really like. Especially if it’s with a lady who enjoys it as much as I do and has some sexy dance moves.
Good thing my mother doesn’t like Tool.
I get a kick out of goofing around and making others laugh by being silly and childish. I’m happy to teach new things as well.
And anytime I eat a meal that cannot be improved on, I get a huge smile on my face. Both on the out and inside of myself.
Each of us has our own unique thing that makes us feel genuine happiness. We only have to explore within and then commit these discoveries to memory.
Or better yet, to paper. Reminding ourselves of what we truly are. We’re more than bags of watery meat walking around on coat hooks of bone aren’t we?
Once we know ourselves well enough, we can then decide how to best share our happiness with the world.
Maybe we enjoy the heck out of making flip-books. Maybe other people enjoy the heck out of watching us make flip-books.
Those pervs.
That man just made the flip-book connoisseur’s day.
Even if the intensity of the happiness isn’t all that much, the objective is to elevate at least one person.
That’s the “in service” part. Sharing a passion can be contagious. It can be inspirational and an act of courage and effort. It can raise the consciousnesses of an entire planet. Even two girls with an empty cup can do it. No, I’m not linking that one.
Think of a simple song that makes people feel good. Most of them are ear worms in the worst way possible. I present exhibit A. Gangnam Style.
Now, tell me that the first time you watched this, you didn’t crack a smile.
That is what being in service towards others is about. Even though PSY made a pile of money with Gangnam Style and has fathered thousands of children through his fame; he created something that was shared to provoke the jaded and slumbering among us. Even once the feeling of novelty passes, the “declaration” served it’s purpose as a demonstration of love, truth, beauty and harmony.
It was a silly expression of a truth that PSY unconsciously desired to present. A harmonic depiction of humor and an important reminder that we shouldn’t have to take life (and ourselves) so seriously. Even when it feels like we should.
That was PSY’s contribution.
Here is another.
It’s all about engineering the feels and provoking a positive reaction.
I don’t know about you, but the above video has brought a lot of laughter to myself and others.
So what are other ways can we be of service to humanity?
Maybe you’re pretty good at cooking a steak. Sharing it with someone appreciative could make their day. Especially if you feed them by hand.
Maybe you’re a mechanic in a car shop and decided not to charge a customer for a simple repair that you spotted. They weren’t aware of it and you had an extra bit of time.
Maybe someone asks you for an inconvenient favor that you decide to go out of your way to do. Maybe they didn’t ask you at all and you did it for them anyways.
Even putting on lipstick and lingerie to surprise your boyfriend (or girl) with after a long day can be a declaration in service of the principles discussed.
It can also mean to write something of value. Whether it’s a blog post or Twitter comment or a smiley face on a dinner receipt that you tipped handsomely towards.
Courteously flushing the toilet once all your stuff is out rather than to sit there and continue playing Clash of the Clans on your phone while a bunch of people are in the restroom with you — makes the world into a better place.
Service can be about greeting co-workers with a smile. Bringing them donuts. Giving your boss a hearty slap on the rear. Letting that guy go ahead of you in traffic.
The nice thing about knowing that genuine happiness and delight comes from making others feel good and their lives easier — is how simple and universal the truth of happiness can be embraced.
Christianity’s version of it is:
“Do onto others, as you will have them do onto you.”
Even an atheist could agree to that.
Especially at gunpoint.
Another nice benefit of practicing this idea, is that everybody wins. There are no losers.
You get your reward and so do they.
Humanity is only able to progress one person at a time. It’s up to the individual to light the torches of others as they move along in life. Achieving things both great and small. For your benefit and theirs.
A third benefit is that you don’t have to limit these expressions to only strangers.
This is where the last part of the statement comes in. “In need” which means that we can do these things for family members. For boyfriends and girlfriends and pets.
Whoever needs and appreciates such displays and whoever would stand to benefit from them.
Throw a party. Be a great host. Make everyone feel good after they leave.
Magic brownies can help with that.
Treat everyone the way you wish to be treated. With dignity. Respect. Humour and tolerance.
And sincere delight at their company.
With genuine concern for their welfare.
Performing just ONE act of service a day has the potential to multiply. Eventually everyone on the planet will be walking around with smirks on their faces and exchanging knowing winks.
Happiness is the genuine delight we experience while in service of those in need.
That’s the end game of spirituality and of humans in general.
Happiness.
And helping others experience it along with you.
