NOTE: This blog entry is
an honest reflection after almost 20 years experience in happiness education
from a sixth generation American. I am proud to be an American in a lot of ways
and of course there is room for improvement. In the words of President Barack Obama, “Surely
we can do better than this.”
Today is the 4th of
July. I am mourning the loss of 30,000 Americans who have taken their
lives because they gave up on the pursuit of happiness. That is 30,000
a year.
As people around the
country celebrate their freedom of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I
reflect on the depths of torment and suicide the pursuit of happiness has
actually caused.
My heart hurts. I am sad.
Sad for those around the
world who have taken their lives.
As America so blatantly
blows its horn for the pursuit of happiness as a top quality in our government,
I can’t help but sit back and shake my head.
Shake my head for the measly 17% of Americans who
are optimally flourishing.
Shaking my head for the 1 in 4 people
with a mental illness.
Shaking my head for the 1 in 10 people who suffer
depression.
Shaking my head for
positive psychology , which is striving to become more mainstream yet has a
long way to go.
Shaking my head for mothers
and fathers who are unable to council or accurately guide their offspring in an
accurate direction of happiness that is a ‘sure-thing’
Shaking my head for the
30,000 people who kill themselves each year because they have given up on their
happiness.
The simple notion of
‘pursuit’ of happiness puts people in the wrong direction.
Let us remove the conquest
from the pursuit so happiness becomes the bulls eye instead of the bi product.
Lives could be saved. Lives
could be improved. Optimal flourishing could increase.
And the three
degrees of dynamic spread of happiness could be ignited on a nation
wide level.
Life, Liberty and Learning
Happiness
How does that sound?
The mere idea that
sustainable happiness is a ‘sure-thing’ once practiced is quite notable.
It is a game changer.
We can improve the global
well being index.
We can stop school violence.
We can stop suicide.
We can aid in healing of
mental and physical health.
“Surely we can do better …”
What is stopping America
from opening the educational doors for happiness science?
This very well could be a
huge WIN for public health.
Happiness science could be
used as preventative medicine.
Taught simply, step by
step, with clarity, and ease.
This is my vision for
America.
When I see America teaching
it’s citizens how to be happy instead of incentivizing the ‘pursuit’, and I
see 30k lives/year saved, mental & physical health statistics improve, I will
be able to stop shaking my head and know our country’s politics, education, and
technology are keeping up with the Jones’ in scientific breakthroughs in
positive psychology.
We can do better!!!!
Would you like to
contribute to this conversation?
Dr Aymee Coget
Sustainable Happiness
Doctor
Sfhappinessdoctor at gmail
dot com
Author of forthcoming book
: Sustainable Happiness in 5 Steps
