IS HAPPINESS SOMETHING WE CAN MASTER?
Are you happy?
Uncountable millions have asked that of themselves or of others for thousands of years. Yet depending on when in history this question is asked, it would mean something very different.
Today, we live in a time where our overall health, opportunities, and options would be considered nothing less than miraculous to our ancestors.
In addition, the practical knowledge we have today of how our choices, thoughts, and habits affect our own experience allows us to be active participants in our own happiness in ways that would have mystified most people through history.
For the Ancient Greeks, happiness was being lucky or blessed (makarios) -- favored by the gods to enjoy prosperity and avoid suffering.
This puts the thoughts, choices, and actions that can lead to happiness outside of our own direction, outside of our own personal agency.
Happiness from this perspective is a matter of luck, not something you can actively influence. But you can. Let’s talk about how you can.




