Present Happiness
"... The things you want or are afraid to loose are rarely as important as you think they are. This is a very widespread observation in behavioral economics. We're well known to be terrible at predicting how much good or bad things will affect us. The truth is they don't affect us nearly as much as we hope or fear ... Wisdom is understanding that you don't have to hold your happiness hostage until some future time where your desires get gratified."
– Sam Harris, from the Introductory Course of the Waking Up app
I've been working through the four-week introductory course to Sam Harris' mindfulness app Waking Up. Each day he combines a mindfulness practice with a short "theory" session. Last night the above snippet stuck with me.
Taken out of context, the interconnected thoughts I've shared do feel separate, I realize now. So let me offer my interpretation.
The general theme of the session was "The Search for the Meaning of it All." And he emphasized, as it relates to mindfulness, that the journey, or our present selves, are as important as the destination. We are what is happening now in and around us.
So the quote above struck me, because I think we can all relate on a personal level, but it also is a reminder of all the things we are told should matter to us, and how terrible or how great things will be if ... [fill in the talking point of the day).
Particularly as it relates to our personal anticipations of what we believe will make us happy or will provide us with a purpose, the last part of the quote is the reminder to be present. Especially since the destination, whatever that may be, will provide only fleeting happiness.