The Pursuit of Heaven

Movies, TV screens reflect just what you expected
There's a world of shiny people somewhere else
Out there following their bliss
living easy, getting kissed
while you wonder what else you're doing wrong

- The Weepies

Now if there is anything in the world that is a gift of the Gods to men, it is reasonable to suppose that happiness is a divine gift, especially as it is the of human things...But even if happiness is not sent by the Gods but is the result of virtue and of learning or discipline some kind, it is apparently one of the most divine things in the world; for it would appear that which is the prize and end of virtue is the supreme good and is in its nature divine and blessed.

- Aristotle

How much time do we spend thinking about our own happiness? We think about all the things we want and desire. We think about all the things other people have that we don't and it really burns us up inside. I have a dear friend getting married to a girl he has always loved and cherished. I went to a marriage half a year ago for a couple who were absolutely enamored with one another. Other friends aren't concerned with relationships, but with a good career. I'm envious of them too. These people seem to know exactly what they want and how to get it. Me, I don't have a clue. Then there are my good friends who know exactly how to behave around people. They know how to make small talk and be polite. I don't have this gift either. Small talk bores me, and unfortunately that makes up a good deal of other people's judgments of us.

Then there is the fact that when you think about this kind of stuff too much, you begin to feel guilty. You feel guilty for judging people you love so much. Or, you begin to feel guilty that you have been duped into believing the lie that "the grass is always greener." It may be cliche, but cliches come from somewhere. Or you might feel guilty because you realize that there are starving children, or war torn countries, or people in hospitals fighting for their lives; and you are sad because you can't figure out what is missing in your life.

These thoughts only make a person feel more gloomy. We get to feeling cut off from everyone. Even God doesn't really make it that easy. While St. Thomas Aquinas talks about how God is the ultimate happiness, Jesus seems to go a little nuts telling us that happy people are those who are getting the short straw.

There is a line in the movie Field of Dreams where the main character, Ray Kinsella, has just been passed over to go and see something amazing. He gets angry with the person who made the request, Shoeless Joe Jackson. In a fury he says to Shoeless Joe, "I did it all. I listened to the voices, I did what they told me, and not once did I ask what's in it for me."

Shoeless Joe replies, "What are you saying, Ray?"

"I'm saying...what's in it for me?" replies Ray.

"Is that why you did this Ray, for you?" asks the baseball player, "I think you better think about that."

Okay, remember what I was writing above, forget that. I feel quite odd writing this blog post and changing its subject right in mid stream. You see, I was going write about how we can't really attain happiness and can't really pursue it. Happiness happens when we are really pursuing life. Happiness is feeling blessed and glad for the things we have. But, sometimes, we just don't feel that way. We feel like when we are sad we should feel worse because we are melancholy or morose.

We think about what's in it for us. We can't get over our sadness and even our friends offer us no consolation. So, what gets us out of our funk? "Simple pleasures are the last refuge of the complex," state the British/Irish author Oscar Wilde. I usually spout this quote as a pithy little bon mot to my coworkers and friends. However, after thinking about all the things I have been thinking about above, I have found my simple pleasure. Ironically I was looking up the quote from Field of Dreams and decided to read a few user comments. As I read, I realized how much I love this film. I love it so much in fact that just thinking about it or reading people's comments on it; makes me happy. One person (from England ironically) said this about the movie, "It is the perfect film to watch if you are feeling down and thinking life is lousy." Ironically, just thinking about it accomplishes the same goal.

Perhaps you have a different movie, book, television show, or song that gets you through. Maybe you have good friends who take you out shopping or hiking. I don't know. All I know is that when I start thinking about Field of Dreams I can't help but think, "Maybe this is Heaven."