Happiness is...
Happiness is...just a simple habit. It starts somewhere inside and shows in a smile. It is different things at different ages. I teach French to high school students, but somewhere along the way (because it's hard for me to say no) I found myself also taking a value education class for 10-year-olds. It was pretty boring to go by the book and I could see that the kids thought it was 'yawn class' since anyway it was the first period of the school day and began at 7.30 am! I found myself quite sleepy too in fact, with all that the textbook preached about peace and harmony, etc.
The early morning class also found the kids cranky and always squabbling with each over petty stuff like who gets to sit in the middle (there are three kids on a bench because it's a government aided school, not a fancy private one).
I decided to liven things up a bit. So setting aside the book, we played word games and read out favorite stories (with a moral, if possible). Then I got them to write a list of 'Things that make me happy'. Wow! It opened up all the bottled feelings. 'When mummy hugs me', 'when I am apriciated (sic), when daddy comes home early and takes us out, when mummy makes my favourite food, when teacher is happy with me and tell me so.... The list went on and on.
So much of what makes us happy is about mummy isn't it? Mum's got the power, so does dad. And so does teacher.As adults when we become mum and dad or teacher we have that amazing, frightening, overwhelming power. And most times we don't even realize it.
I think my value education class teaches me so much every day. I think happiness is sometimes not saying 'no' to new things even when there seems no obvious benefit. Who knows what wealth of love, of power and of joy it unleashes? Happiness is using power to make others happy. Happiness is about filling our cup of joy until it overflows and fills others with happiness too. Happiness is not about doing good, it's about being true to oneself. Being a do-gooder is often just an excuse to meddle. I think when we are happy we can't help but share that happiness with others. And that is a happy outcome. Happiness is the outcome of just living life with the expectation of being taken care of by the divine force. It is optimism, it is loving anticipation.
And yes, it is a choice.
The early morning class also found the kids cranky and always squabbling with each over petty stuff like who gets to sit in the middle (there are three kids on a bench because it's a government aided school, not a fancy private one).
I decided to liven things up a bit. So setting aside the book, we played word games and read out favorite stories (with a moral, if possible). Then I got them to write a list of 'Things that make me happy'. Wow! It opened up all the bottled feelings. 'When mummy hugs me', 'when I am apriciated (sic), when daddy comes home early and takes us out, when mummy makes my favourite food, when teacher is happy with me and tell me so.... The list went on and on.
So much of what makes us happy is about mummy isn't it? Mum's got the power, so does dad. And so does teacher.As adults when we become mum and dad or teacher we have that amazing, frightening, overwhelming power. And most times we don't even realize it.
I think my value education class teaches me so much every day. I think happiness is sometimes not saying 'no' to new things even when there seems no obvious benefit. Who knows what wealth of love, of power and of joy it unleashes? Happiness is using power to make others happy. Happiness is about filling our cup of joy until it overflows and fills others with happiness too. Happiness is not about doing good, it's about being true to oneself. Being a do-gooder is often just an excuse to meddle. I think when we are happy we can't help but share that happiness with others. And that is a happy outcome. Happiness is the outcome of just living life with the expectation of being taken care of by the divine force. It is optimism, it is loving anticipation.
And yes, it is a choice.
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