We all want to be happy, but to get there we must understand precisely what happiness is. Amazingly, we are all terrible at predicting what will make us happy and are unaware of how long that happiness will last. We are also terrible at predicting how long our sadness will last. Research has shown that if something we consider life-changing, either in a negative or a positive way, happens, then our emotional state reverts to what might be termed the baseline within three months.
In other words, we have a baseline happiness. So, for example, if we win the lottery, we will be delighted, but after three months we will have reverted to our baseline happiness, albeit with a larger bank balance. Similarly, if we are diagnosed with an illness that requires surgery, we may feel devastated, but three months down the line we will have ‘bounced back’ to our baseline happiness.
We pursue health because we believe that being healthy will make us happy, but research has shown that it is, in fact, happiness that makes us healthy. There is nothing as nourishing as happiness. We pursue pleasure or physical things to make us happy, but three months later, we are back at the baseline, so we start all over again, pursuing another pleasurable experience. Strangely, though, if we find, for example, that a world cruise made us happy and made us embark on another to feel the same way, we find that the second or third experience is never the same and never causes the same degree of happiness. Various aspects of the experience will irritate or bore us.
To elevate our baseline happiness, we must seek meaning and purpose in our lives. This is where spirituality comes in, offering a path of personal growth and enlightenment. By reflecting on eternal truths, we can transcend the fleeting pleasures of the physical world and tap into a deeper, lasting bliss. Unlike physical truths that change over time, spiritual truths remain constant, offering a timeless source of happiness.
There are very few spiritual concepts and eternal truths. One of these is that I am a soul. I always exist; I am a spiritual being, conscious and light, and I never die. I will feel happiness when I take five minutes to reflect on this truth. If I can increase that to ten minutes, happiness will increase three times as much, and if I spend half an hour reflecting on the soul, my joy will increase tenfold. Happiness keeps on growing, and then our baseline happiness begins to rise. This is the alchemy of happiness.
I, the soul, also need to belong. We know from experience that we cannot belong to anyone physically forever because they leave us in one way or another. We need to belong to something eternal. We need to belong to the Supreme Soul, a source of infinite love and peace. This is the second spiritual concept, and reflecting on this Supreme Being through a connection in meditation brings the bliss of belonging to The Ocean of Love. However we are, whatever we are, we belong to the Supreme Soul. We must, though, keep reminding ourselves of our spirituality to maintain this connection. We also need to behave in a certain way. The physical sun shines all the time, but if I sit indoors with the curtains closed, I will not feel the energy-giving rays of the sun. I need to place myself within reach of the rays. In the same way, to make a deep connection with the Supreme Soul, I need to know how, and I need to use my thoughts for the benefit of others with good wishes and blessings, and use my body and wealth in the same way.
Finally, recent research has discovered that even though most people think that the problems in our world are increasing, they tend to respond that they are doing fine when asked about their own lives. Our world is made up of individuals, so it must be the individuals who are contributing to the problems, but most of us do not recognise that we could be part of the problem. To help society, we need to make changes to our lives and find our purpose and meaning. We can do this when we find our spiritual tribe, whatever that spiritual tribe may be. We all have something to give, be it time, a talent, a skill or financial help. We can serve in many ways. In so doing, not only do we seriously contribute to society, but our baseline happiness increases, as we feel a sense of purpose and fulfilment in our actions.One thing we can all do is see whoever we meet as a pure spiritual being, an eternal soul who belongs to God, and give them good wishes and pure feelings. Experiment with this and watch how the baseline happiness increases.
Shireen Chada is the Coordinator of the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre in Tampa, USA.