Different people have often said to me,”You are always smiling”. I’m not always sure how I should respond but I often say, “Why not, I’m a happy guy!” I was listening to the Dennis Prager radio show while driving along the other day and he was talking about a column he had written for a newspaper about happiness. In talking about the subject he referred to a book written by a German person who was describing how one should act or behave when visiting in Germany. In this book the German author stated that one should not smile frequently because German people will interpret it as though the smiling person(s) has something wrong with them. There may be something wrong with me but I don’t believe it is related to my smiling. Because I am a friendly person, when I pass another person on the street, if I can catch their eye, I will smile and say, Hello! Shortly after my wife and I retired in 1996, we decided to tour Europe for a couple of weeks. While in several European countries it was very difficult to catch any one’s eye as we walked down the street. When I could, the response was usually less than friendly. They seemed to be genuinely suspicious of a smiling and friendly person.
Dennis Prager went on to say that unhappy people are much more likely to join extreme or radical organizations who have a social ax to grind. They are more likely to be angry at society for one reason or another and feel comforted when associated with others of similar views of the world. Unhappy people probably feel that they are victims of some wrong imposed on them and that there is very little chance of justice for them. Interestingly, another talk show host always states, “We are not victims”
Why not smile, why not be happy? We are not victims, we live on a beautiful planet created for our growth, progress and yes our happiness or joy. In this country, the vast majority of us, have places to call home, food to eat, jobs to work at and live in a state of relative safety and security. We may not always have everything we want but we should never equate wealth and having with happiness – because there is absolutely no relationship. There is a correlation between being a part of a close and loving family unit and happiness. At least I believe that is what brings a happy smile to my face.
I remember reading a short article about happiness years ago and it went something like this: “I will be happy as soon as I graduate from school. I will be happy as soon as I get married. I will be happy as soon as I have my own home. I will be happy as soon as I have a child. I will be happy as soon as my children are old enough to take care of themselves, as soon as they leave home, as soon as I can retire, etc. – We should be happy all the while these things are happening in our lives – we should be happy right now! We shouldn’t feel like victims, of our most significant life experiences. If we cannot be happy while those things are happening in our life, then we are, in fact victims, victims of our own attitudes. There is a scripture that refers to intelligence and states that, ‘Whatever intelligence we attain unto in this life we will take with us into the next life.’ I happen to believe that it is the same for happiness. Whatever, happiness we attain unto in in this life we will take with us into the next life. We choose! We can choose to be happy – I believe happiness is a byproduct of a grateful heart.