Filed under: Career Success, Giving Back/Community Impact, Life Choices, Spiritual Grounding
A friend sent me this article on the key to happiness at work. I think it’s worth the five minutes it takes to read, but here’s a summary in case your food is coming. “To be happy, accept life as it is.”
It’s really not a bad article and I agree with many of the author’s ideas, and also those of the author she quotes (there are a lot of threads in this little garment). What I don’t like is the reliance on Eastern mysticism that claims happiness is found at the end of a road that’s moved a long way from caring.
Acceptance sounds great unless you unpack it. Where does all that acceptance lead?
“Accept the world as it is, and go about your day,” says that to be happy, one should distance himself or herself from the realities of the world. Let go of caring and embrace the junk. The writer calls the junk lemons, but he doesn’t mean lemons. He means junk. See the junk? Accept it. Stop caring and happiness is yours.
But wait, doesn’t caring lead to loving and isn’t love all about caring deeply? If God is distant from the cares of the world, then God does not love…me….or you! Taken to its logical conclusion, this author’s idea warns us off from loving anyone. That makes me unhappy, and I am sure you agree.
Moreover, what would change if no one cared? Nothing would change. We’d still be afraid of our children getting polio.
I wonder how that “accept what you see” idea sells in places like the Mathare slum in Nairobi? For that matter, how’s it sell to that burger cashier who is thinking it’s worth her time stay in school and to persevere toward her dream of advancing in the world? Should she just accept her $10 per hour and leave it at that or do you hope she achieves more? Yeah, me too.
Perhaps a better way to be happy is to look for what needs changing and realize that God is with us in the struggle? Most of what needs changing starts with me. And most of me that needs changing is my attitude! (Haven’t we heard this somewhere before?)
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I have a policy of not publishing anonymous comments (for rather obvious reasons). I do not, however, ignore them.
Comment by jacksbuzz December 14, 2011 @ 6:10 pm“B” asked if I read the article. I did.
Quote: “To change your job, he says, you must change the way you think about it. ‘We create our own experience,’ he insists. He relies heavily on Eastern spirituality and draws from many wisdom traditions.” Eastern spirituality – more specifically, Buddhism, believes that one achieves happiness by finding distance from worrying about changing things. She becomes happy (content or at peace) as she learns to accept things as they are.
While I agree with most of the writer’s points (which is why I linked you to the article), I disagree that we should ever accept things as they are.
Second, “‘Rather than encourage people to focus on “positive thinking,’ Rao wants to banish the whole notion of good and bad events.” Again, it sounds great, but is neither practical nor possible. Better to develop a keen sense of right and wrong and act accordingly.
I also find it interesting that the author of the post wants us to accept things as they are, then spends several pages telling us how to change them. Which is it? This article, which contains many commendable points, is convoluted. It sends mixed messages, perhaps to try to please everyone? If only life were so simple.
Thank you, “B” – keep thinking.