Sunday, October 28, 2007
Chapter 11
Many of you have heard me talk about a book I read a few years ago called Mean Genes. In Mean Genes the authors argue that much of our personality is predetermined by our genetic make up. They go on to say, though, that all human beings have the ability to improve on what nature has given them even though very few do. I know many people who are naturally good at things like athletics or music. However this doesn't mean those who aren't "naturals” can’t become accomplished at whatever they try. Ben Shahar writes, "While we have no control over our genetic predisposition and sometimes little influence over the circumstances in which we fine ourselves, we usually have considerably more control over the kind of activities and practices that we pursue." This has got to be true. Remember that old Thomas Edison quotation, "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration"? I don't believe that happiness has a ceiling. We can always find more joy in the world.
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I just finished the book! While some chapters were better than others, I certainly found it to be a worthwhile read. For my final post I would like to comment on Ben-Shahar's discussion concerning time. On p. 138 he notes, "Most people fall far short of their potential for happiness because they misuse precious time--racing like rats, seeking mindless hedonism, or resigning themselves to nihilism." I think one of the most effective things I can do in my personal pursuit of the ultimate currency is to continually question and consider how I am using my time. Unfortunately, I typically rank among those that Ben-Shahar describes in his discussion of "time poverty" on p. 154. I need to improve at prioritizing my time, organizing my activities, and staying focused on things that need to get done so that I will have the time to do the things I really want to do.
I think I was telling someone in class what my father taught me before I went away to college. He told me to treat my school work like a job, to work hard from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. He said that after 5:00 PM I was to put the books away and have some fun. This sounded fairly rigid, and even unecessary at first, but I soon learned that such a practice was both beneficial and liberating. The structure actually made the studying more enjoyable because I didn't procrastinate my school work. I always seemed to have the time needed to seek knowledge for my own understanding and because I didn't have to cram like others who had procrastinated, I never saw my studying as an unpleasant activity or stressful event. Similarly, my "time off" was truly time off. I didn't have thoughts of school work that I still needed to do in the back of my head. I could enjoy guilt-free relaxation and put 100% of my attention into the activities that I wanted to pursue.
I wonder if my father's advice would be beneficial to some of you in Service Corps. It seems that often you are trying to either play video games, listen to music, or just mess around in class when you have work on a project to do. Maybe some of you could experiment with the idea of focusing entirely on the activity at hand while in class, and then pursuing other interests between 3:00 PM and 10:00 AM. If your experience is like mine, you will enjoy the video games, the music, and your social activities much more when you know that you have completed your school assignments and can give those other interests your full attention. You may find what I found, that both my learning and my personal interests became more meaningful and pleasurable. Give it a shot and let me know what you find.
"How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are there last days."
-John Burroughs
The quotation above isn't in chapter 11, but when I read page 135, I thought of it immediately. I love trees; in the fall-time especially. There's something about trees which makes them utterly appealing and soothing. Even the sounds they make are calming. In the very beginning of chapter 11(pg. 135) Ben-Shahar is discussing the relationship between height, depth and our levels of happiness. A tiny bit past the middle of the first paragraph Ben-Shahar gives an example writing, "The depth of our happiness is like the roots of a tree- providing the foundation, the constant element of our well-being. The height of our happiness is like the leaves- beautiful, coveted, and yet ephemeral, changing and withering with the seasons." I think the quotation by John Burroughs fits in perfectly with Ben-Shahar's allegory. We might only have 4 seasons, but that doesn't mean the leaves only change 4 times a year; just as our emotions and levels of happiness don't change only 4 times a year. The leaves are changing constantly all-year-round regardless of whether it's summer, winter, spring or fall. Some days I can have levels of happiness that range over an entire spectrum; at least, that's how it feels. In John Burroughs quotation he's writing of the leaves' beauty and when I read Ben-Shahar's allegory I get the feeling that the leaves represent "happiness boosters" in a sense. However, Ben-Shahar also writes that the leaves wither which, to me, represents our "lower" days in the ultimate currency. Along with the leaves come the roots... No tree is identical to another, no person is identical to another, therefore, we all have different roots. Now, I don't believe that the depth of our roots is "predetermined," but I do believe that generics, and other factors, can have an effect on our growth. "A giant Oak is only an acorn that held its ground." Unfortunately, I don't know the author to that quotation, never the less, I think it ties in great with the roots. Perhaps, the acorn (or any seed) could represent me before my roots even begin to sprout. What goes on around me before I begin to grow (the amount of water I receive, the sunlight, the weather) could be the generics, or other factors, which can affect me later on in my development. I think the acorn holding its ground could represent my "commitment" to continue growing. Anyway, now I'm rambling on being a plant. Point be made, I thought Ben-Shahar's way of explaining how the "elements" of height and depth relate to our base level of happiness was very sensible.
*Pg. 137, first paragraph, "Grumpy may not be able to cultivate the same view of life Happy enjoys, and a natural born whiner may not be able to transform himself into a Pollyanna, but we all can become significantly happier. And most people fall far short of their happiness potential." - I think that goes along with what I said above. We all have different roots -not being able to cultivate the same view as others & not all being Pollyanna's- but we all are (no matter how corny this sounds) able to be that acorn that holds its ground -the ability to become significantly happier-
*The very bottom of page 138, continued to the very top of page 139, Ben-Shahar writes, "Within time lies the potential for an impoverished life or for a life of fulfillment; properly used, time becomes the keeper of the ultimate treasure." Honestly, the main reason I like that quotation is because I have an odd obsession with time. I find time both fascinating and vexatious (fun word isn't it?) Time makes my brain tick intensely.
I like what your dad taught you Cougar. I don't have a set time schedule like that, but I know that when I do set up routines my day seems much less choatic and I get more done.
Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually apprach eighteen.
this quote cought my attention because I think that it would be intersting to find out what the results are if you started at a latter age and worked your way down to a younger age
Those who shift their focus from material goods and prestige to the ultimate currency will raise their base level of well-being; those who actively seek present and future benefit will be happier in the long run.
I like this qoute from Chapter 11; page 138, the last paragraph.
What I interpreted from this passage is that people who look beyond happiness won't find ultimate happiness; those who live to the fullest extent of will be in the ultimate currency.
Chapter 11, page 138
Daniel Kahneman said "Time-use may be the determinant of well-being that is the most susceptible to improvement". I like how this quote goes against the idea that your well-being is set and cannot be change. I like to think that I can change my overall well-being by using my time in certain ways. I would like to spend more time doing the things that bring me future and present fulfillment. I believe doing so will help me gain a higher level of the "ultimate currency".
For some people the level at which this internal mechanism does not change alot through out a persons life. We get happy when good things happen to us. We get sad when thigs do not go our way.
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