We have heard of aspirin as a painkiller and as a blood thinner but would you ascribe life changing philosophy to the humble pill? Pascal Bruckner, a French philosopher and writer says, “…in ancient times…happiness was not the main concern…devoted people had only salvation in their mind…happiness was just an accident…happiness was defined as diversion…Pain was the major experience.” Pain was a reward, happiness a sin.
Asprin helped change perspective of pain and salvation. “And pleasure began to make its presence felt!”
Bruckner begins by defining happiness as one of three: “Happiness is a moment of grace and joy in life…it is different in quality from ordinary days and it is a feeling that may make us go on the right track...Grace is something that comes on you without you expecting it…when you are having an experience and you realise there is a special quality about that moment which may never come back. That is why happiness is more a moment in life than a permanent state...happiness may last a long time but the problem comes when you try to ‘retain’ it…” Bruckner refers to the familiar exclamation, “Oh! You must be so happy!” saying, “… The moment you hear that, you become a comedian of happiness, you play happiness instead of feeling it.”
Fulfilling duties
Happiness makes you feel you have a goal in life, you have a passion and whatever happens to you in spite of any setback or moments of distress, you are pursuing the goal. You are not wasting life. In that definition happiness could be confused with passion. Having a passion in life is an advantage because you know exactly what to do, what to achieve...it helps a lot in days of anger or sadness because you know you have to overcome it..., but, he adds, “Success might be the end of your happiness. Whenever you achieve your goal, your main concern is to find another one. Today the right to happiness turns into a duty. For two centuries, the right to pleasure has been a subversive motto...duty was to work...in the sixties, asceticism gave way to consumerism...then came the individualistic revolution. No religion or social class can stop you from being happy...the main enemy between me and happiness is myself, so I have to work on myself to gain that happiness...which is not just a right but a social goal now,” and so Buckner says, “Medicine drugs, aesthetical surgery, therapy and religions...all aimed at one goal, to make people happy. Happiness is more a private matter...in spite of greater comfort, the culture of complaints is growing. Too intent on pursuing their own happiness, people are fighting for it and dying for it.”
Buckner asserts that, “Happiness is a secondary goal. If you pursue just it, it will be evasive.” Our fears make us live within a cocoon looking for “happiness”. True happiness says Buckner comes with expansion of our experiences. “We cannot command our feelings as we command machines...you can prevent disease and bankruptcy, disruption of family life, but you cannot order happiness.” So says Buckner that a good life may mean some sorrows and setbacks too. We have to have a sense of measure, recognise limits and not want everything, like everlasting youth, for example.
