The Divine Principle opens with the statement, “Every human being is struggling to attain life-long happiness and overcome misfortune.” Yet despite the centrality of that quest happiness seems to elude people. This is in great part because we are not in touch with what brings us true happiness. Additionally, we live under the impression that happiness is something that happens or doesn’t happen to us, rather than something that we create by how we live day to day.
So, can you be happy by deciding to be? A handy little book titled, “Teach Yourself Happiness” by Paul Jenner promotes the idea that happiness is something to invest in by changing the way we look at life.
The search for happiness is perhaps easier to identify by first recognizing what leads to unhappiness. Those thoughts are often more tangible than notions of being filled with love or altruism. Jenner lists:
10 Thoughts That Can Make You Unhappy (1.)
- Theirs is better (comparing)
- I want more…. and more, (greed)
- If it’s not black, it must be white (all or nothing)
- If it’s not perfect it’s no good (perfectionism)
- Why is this always happening to me (exaggeration)
- I’m not going to like this (jumping to negative conclusions)
- I feel it, so it must be true (emotionalism)
- I’m a label, you’re a label (labeling)
- I should do this, you should do that (obligation)
- If it’s wrong it must be my fault (wrongly taking responsibility)
No doubt there is more than one item on this list that could be reversed in your life but the idea of changing often seems too monumental to consider –even when happiness is the promised pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. However, science is teaching us that the human brain is incredibly “plastic.” That means we are not doomed to repeat the past; we can actually “rewire” our brains and mold our behaviors through positive intention and practice. We can retrain our brains. Although science is teaching us how this happens the notion that it can happen is much older.
“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you but by the attitude you bring to life: not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” John Homer Miller (1722-91) American Author.
Our Founders, Rev. & Dr. Moon, are the masters of this cognition. We are released to happiness when we learn to be grateful and forgive. These two virtues, that we see revealed fully in their lives and teachings, are identified as essential by Jenner and other researchers who study the quest for happiness.
