Genuine well being for ourselves and the planet

Who’s the messenger? What’s the message?

12 09 11

Yesterday, listening to a discussion of the astonishing Russian protests against reportedly rigged elections, I couldn’t help but think of Mohammed Bouaziz.  He was the 26 year-old Tunisian fruit seller whose self-immolation nearly a year ago sparked the Arab Spring.

The Arab Spring continues to inspire uprisings worldwide — Israel, Spain, Occupy Wall Street, and now Russia.  The on-the-scene reporter in Russia yesterday marveled at the protesters’ lack of fear when the police showed up.  In the past, she said, the appearance of police sent protesters scurrying for safety.  Not anymore.

Obviously, there is no way, no way that 26 year-old could possibly have imagined how his actions would resonate throughout the world.   He was an unknowing messenger of hope and courage.  I believe his actions said, “Enough is enough.  The time for change is now.  Be brave.  Be strong.  You are not alone.”

Sometimes I take comfort from the idea that we’re all just pawns in the giant chess game of history.  That relieves the burden of trying to carry the the whole world on my shoulders.  However, unlike pawns, we move ourselves.  We should choose those moves wisely, because we — like the Tunisian fruit seller — cannot know what lessons those around us will take from our actions.

Books, like Eric Weiner‘s Geography of Bliss, can contain powerful messages; Weiner’s book was the first place I read about Gross National Happiness.  His chapter on Bhutan changed my life.

Amy Noyes Demonstration

Often, though, the messenger is close to home.  For me, most recently, the messenger was Amy Noyes, a friend and former work colleague while I was at Home Share Now.  I knew she’d written a book on non-toxic house cleaning — I’d even seen a copy of the book’s Chinese printing.  Very impressive!

It wasn’t until Amy came to The Happiness Paradigm Store and Experience to do a demonstration that I finally understood: using items like vinegar and baking soda to clean can lead to greater health and happiness for me, and greater help and happiness for the planet (I know I’m behind the curve here, that many of you figured this out long ago).

Messages don’t land in vacuums.  Amy’s message finally resonated with me because I am using happiness as a frame for her book Nontoxic Housecleaning .

Also, thanks to the dramatic shift in U.S. zeitgeist brought on by Occupy Wall Street, I can now appreciate how changing my cleaning ways is a statement against corporate power and greed.  Really, who makes all those fancy-schmanzy cleaning products that are so colorfully displayed in the grocery store, and who makes all the ads trying to convince us to buy things we don’t need?  Lotions and potions that may well undermine our well being, and that of the planet?  Occupy the kitchen!

It may surprise Amy to know what her visit taught me.  Similarly, I suspect, all of us might be surprised to know where, when, and how our words and actions were especially meaningful to others.  If you chance to watch It’s a Wonderful Life this holiday season, remember — it’s not just George Bailey.  We’re all having wonderful lives.

Category:

The Happiness Movement

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Love, Not Blame

12 05 11

A few weeks back, I sat on the sunny and warm front porch of my daughter’s Alabama home.  I’d come to visit during her pregnancy — a very happy development.  While she worked on lesson plans for her theater students, I read Paul Gilding’s amazing book, The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World.  

Gilding uses a ream of scientific evidence to demonstrate that there is simply no escaping a devastating environmental and economic crisis.  It is on the way, maybe even here already.  Some countries will end up underwater.  Many species will die out.  Millions of lives will be lost.

But then … and this is the part I really like … we humans will discard the growth economy, and create instead “the happiness economy.”  His words, I’m pleased to say!   Indeed, Gilding says millions and millions of people all across the planet are already creating new systems and new ways of being for the post-growth economy.  Since that’s what I’m trying to do with The Happiness Paradigm, I felt a great sense of belonging.

Somehow, I managed to slide right past the “millions of lives lost” to the “happiness economy.”  Well, why not?  I can’t at this point save those lives.  My energy can be better spent on helping to inflate the life raft of hope.

On my way home, I went straight from the airport to the Unitarian Church of Montpelier for a workshop on “Climate Change and What You Can Do About It.” One of the speakers was Kathy Blume, a particularly bubbly environmental activist who ended her presentation by displaying a green heart decal.  The decal, she explained, symbolized a commitment to adopting an approach of love as we face a future with enormous environmental, economic and social challenges.

Gilding’s and Blume’s optimism definitely spoke to me — on some deep level, it seems.  I woke up the next morning determined to make green heart pins from recycled paper and leftover glitter, beads and other fun items folks have been donating to me.  Wearing these pins can be a very visible declaration of love — love for our beautiful planet, for the plants and animals and for all the wonderful  humans who make us happy and also drive us crazy.

So I got to work and created these pins.  Whenever I sell one, I also explain what they symbolize.  Maybe they’ll even catch on, like pink ribbons for breast cancer research.  Maybe the pins will just result in a few smiles.  Either result will be a good one.

Category:

Environmental Concerns

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Sad Santa Letters and Grandmothers-to-be

12 01 11

What do these two discussions have in common?

  • This morning my GNHUSA colleague and environmental economics expert Eric Zencey started a Facebook thread about the “mildly depressing” kids’ letters to Santa published in the local paper.  Although there was an occasional note that said, “I’ve been good,” the letters mostly read like orders to the factory.  The kids wanted stuff, stuff, and more stuff.
  • Later, while I was getting my hair cut, my hairdresser Lisa and I chatted about the fact that we are both about to become first time grandmothers.  Both of us are going to have granddaughters.  Both of us are very happy this.  Very.  Happy.

So, tying the two threads together, what is one thing grandparents are infamous for, in this country at least?  Getting lots of stuff for their grandchildren! Uh-oh.  I know from Eric and others that our obsession with stuff is trashing the environment.  Furthermore, the Raising Happiness folks say, “Wanting more stuff — and getting it — doesn’t make us happy.”

What are new grandmothers to do?

My friend Andrea, who has two adorable young daughters, raised this question and provided some answers at a recent climate change workshop.  She said to the group, “Just try telling your children’s grandparents not to buy anything new for your kids.”

Later I asked her, “Really?  Nothing new?”  She said, firmly, there are so many children’s clothes out there, there is no need to buy anything new — then, she gave me links to sites that sell very cool upcycled kids’ clothing.

Of course this stuff topic is much bigger than what baby clothes we pick out.  It is emotionally complicated, more deserving of a PhD dissertation than a blog.

For now, I want to pose the question:  are there loving ways to approach this dilemma?  Lisa mentioned that she hates the phrase, “cutting back” — as in, we need to be environmentally conscious, so let’s cut back on gifts this year, okay?  Ugh.  There must be a better approach.

Here’s my plan:  I will try very hard to walk the talk and buy only (or at least, mostly) recycled, re-purposed and upcycled gifts for this baby out of love for my granddaughter.  I want love, not deprivation, to frame my decisions about what I give my granddaughter.

And, since I want her to be as happy as possible, I will continue learning more about what makes children genuinely happy.   Like Raising Happiness, the Pursuit of Happiness project is overflowing with resources on teaching happiness to children: http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/teaching-resources/

What about the rest of you?  Parents?  Grandparents, godparents, aunts, uncles?  How do you approach stuff when it comes to the children you love?

Category:

Shopping And Stuff

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Tis Better to … Receive?

11 29 11

I am a big fan of the Saint Francis of Assisi prayer.  Thirteen of its fourteen lines resonate deeply within me.

I’ve been mulling over this one: “for it is in giving that we receive.”  Happiness research makes clear that giving is, indeed, one of the most vital elements of happiness.  I am all for it.  Big time.

But how can there be giving without receiving?  Are the receivers to be only those in need — economic, emotional, or otherwise?  Or do all of us have a spiritual obligation to be good receivers as well?  And, is that, too, a path toward happiness?  To rephrase the prayer, is it not in receiving that we provide others the opportunity to give?

I suspect that many of us are better givers than we are receivers.  Receiving — even complements — may make some of us uncomfortable (“oh, it’s nothing!”).  Perhaps we can learn to give greater happiness by learning to accept gifts in all their forms with greater grace.   It is in receiving that we give.

I’ll end by sharing a gem I found while looking for the exact wording of the Saint Francis prayer (and the correct spelling of  “Assisi!”).  It is a stunningly beautiful and powerful rendition of the Saint Francis prayer by singer Sarah MacLachlan.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VSyuar6oF8

And now I’ll happily receive your thoughts on this topic!

Category:

Giving And Receiving

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