The Pursuit of Happiness
Back in the day, Catholic seminary students were required to study philosophy during their college years. It was considered to be a good preparation for the four years of theological studies that usually followed.
At the seminary I attended, that included a heavy dose of the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century philosopher and theologian who could be said to have had the most influence on both those subjects – as well as on early scientific pursuit – in the history of academia.
Frankly, I found him hard to read, though I admired him greatly, even considering him my “patron saint” because we shared our names. More about Aquinas below.
Another Brooks
I’ve often quoted David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and Atlantic magazine contributor in these blogs. But there’s another Brooks that also writes for the Atlantic that is at least as insightful – about modern culture, politics and life – and that’s Arthur C. Brooks, a professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at Harvard University.
And that brings us back to Thomas Aquinas, whom Arthur Brooks greatly admires, especially Aquinas’ writings about happiness, which is Arthur Brooks’ specialty. He regularly appears on social media, and traditional media programs, to talk about happiness: how to be, and not be, happy. Let’s start with the later.
For Aquinas, says Arthur Brooks, the four principal obstacles to happiness (Aquinas calls them “idols”) are money, power, pleasure and honor (or admiration of others). Most of us pursue them as if they bring happiness but eventually realize that they don’t.
Will Get Us Stuff
Money: We all want it, and pursue it, but find that it really doesn’t make us happy. Yes, it will get us stuff, which will satisfy us temporarily, and also may bring honor, if we’re rich enough, and perhaps pleasure and power. But experience shows that it rarely fulfills us, illustrated by the observation that an awful lot of rich people seem to be unhappy.
Power: Many people, but not all of us, want it, and some manage to get it. The temptation to have control over others is as old as humanity. Recall the gospel story about Jesus’ temptations in the synoptic gospels (Mathew, Mark and Luke) in which Jesus is tempted to worship Satan in exchange for control of “all the kingdoms of the world.” The gospel writers surely included this story because they knew a lot about the reckless pursuit of power by religious and temporal authorities of their time.
Pleasure: The pursuit of pleasure for pleasure’s sake may include irresponsible sex or porn, the abuse of drugs and alcohol and the “rewards” of lying and cheating. It’s true that some of these pursuits result from addictions that are, to some unknown extent, out of our control. But the point is that pleasure never lasts, and its pursuit can be a serious obstacle to happiness.
Honor: It can be expressed in the pursuit of fame or the exaggerated need for the approval of others. Unfortunately, honor and fame come and go, having little lasting effect on happiness.
Willing the Good of the Other
Arthur Brooks also quotes Thomas Aquinas on what DOES make us happy. It may sound trite, but the principal ingredient is love, which Aquinas defines as “willing the good of the other.”
So, what does this mean practically for someone searching for God? St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians spells it out.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
