You’re at your local store, list in hand, cruising through the produce aisles – bananas? Check. Avocados? Check. Kale? Check. And something catches your eye. The bin is glowing. The sign above states “Today’s Special: Happiness.” Priceless.
Imagine how easy life could be if we eliminated the assumed barriers to happiness—war, poverty, inequity, racism, confusion, distrust, hate, fears, anxiety, suppression, deceit, scarcity, abuse, revenge…and simply harvested happiness. But what would it look like? Happiness is a sensation unique to each of us, often accompanied by the pride of accomplishment, the joy of being appreciated, the thrill of discovery, the freedom from oppression. An embrace. A smile. A dream fulfilled. Imagine how simple life could be if we harvested happiness.
Unfortunately, happiness will never be acquired as sassily as our organic produce. I wish it could but like so many well-intentioned solutions to address the barriers to happiness, the solution must come from each of us, the individual, with education, enlightenment, ethics and perseverance. Ethics is the vital component to truly harvest a healthy crop of happiness. Your yield will be comparable to the degree it is fertilized by your action towards optimum survival across all facets of life. Your harvest depends on you. plant well. May your harvest always be abundant. May we together work towards a better, more peaceful world.
Gillian