RSS Feed
Maintaining happiness in an unhappy world
Last week I read about three school shootings in the USA, several child related sex offences and, among other things, an horrific case of domestic violence. In light of these and other, frequent, terrible events people often ask me how it’s possible to be happy in the far from perfect world in which we live.
And it’s a perfectly reasonable question.
My response, however, is that it is definitely possible to be happy despite what sometimes goes on around us. I’m not suggesting we ignore events such as those I’ve described above, or that we somehow try to see them in a positive light. Rather, I suggest we give these issues proper consideration and allow ourselves to feel sad, but then “use” such sadness and grief to highlight those other things in life for which we could and should be more appreciative.
Personally, one way in which I cope with such sadness is to focus on those aspects of my life for which I’m truly grateful. Often it’s my wife and children; at other times it might be my health, the wonderful city and country in which I live, my friends or even just basics such as my ability to see and hear!
So don’t allow negative events to cause too much unhappiness. Allow yourself to experience appropriate, human emotions but then take control of yourself and your feelings as soon as possible and practice positive strategies such as helpful thinking and appreciation.
This entry was posted
on Friday, October 6th, 2006 at 10:22 am and is filed under Happy Tips.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can also leave a response.
October 23rd, 2006 at 5:26 pm
Dr Sharpe mentioned the appreciation of simple abilities like sight and hearing which we so often take for granted. This reminded me of the incredible work of the Fred Hollows Foundation in restoring eyesight in the poorest countries of the world. I read of a volunteer worker in Nepal who remarked, “imagine living in the most beautiful place in the world and not being able to see it”. (I went there many years ago and I still think it was the best 4 weeks of my life). Many young people in Nepal cannot attend school because they have to stay home to look after their elderly relatives who have gone blind from cataracts. The clinics set up by Prof. Hollows can restore their vision for an amazing $25. Imagine changing the quality of someone’s life for the cost of a lunch! I’ve always admired Prof Hollows for his no-nonsense approach and the way he just got down to business and did as much as he could before his death from cancer. He was another great example of someone who knew his strengths and talents, used them and lived an authentic life. Steve Irwin is another recent example.
October 24th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
I think it is a really good point that it is harder to remain happy in an seemingly “unhappy” world some times. I used to buy the newspaper every Sunday and go through it cover to cover but realised that the vast majority of things I was reading about were unhappy sensationalist things going on which did nothing to promote a positve view on the world. Instead, it was frustrating to search through to find positive stories of which there were very few. As a result, I haven’t bought a newspaper in 12 months. I still read the news on line where get more facts on what is going on in the world and less of the negative stories.
I find this helpful, maybe someone else will too.