Happy to meet you…

I was in a bookstore a couple of weeks ago when I came upon a display table at the end of an aisle. On the table was a placard that read “Happiness.” I drew closer and examined the books stacked there; eighteen different titles, all promising to help the reader find happiness. The sheer number of books on this subject—and I’m sure there were even more on a shelf somewhere—was evidence that a whole bunch of people are unable to find happiness…and they will fork over their money to anyone who can tell them where to look.
Why is this? Doesn’t the Constitution—unlike any other country on earth—guarantee us the right to happiness?
No, not quite. It actually guarantees us the right to pursue happiness. There’s no guarantee that we will find it. However, I think there’s an important clue hidden in that phrase. What if happiness—instead of being the goal—is just a by-product of the pursuit? I recently read a book by an author who searched for the happiest place on earth. He pointed out that most of us move “from a teeming college dorm to an apartment to a house and, if we’re really wealthy, to an estate. We think we’re moving up, but really we’re walling off ourselves.” The more we close ourselves off from community, the harder it will be to find happiness…for happiness comes from other people.
It’s like Jesus told his disciple friends: If you wanna do something nice for Jesus, do something nice for some person around you. Therefore, if you want to be happy, try to make someone else happy. If you spend some time pursuing happiness for another person, you may be surprised to find how much you get to share in it.