Random musings: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed With Happiness

Today's post is based on a podcast in The Art of Manliness:

In recent years, there’s been a lot of books and blogs put out on how to become happier. But what if searching for happiness actually results in unhappiness, and to get happiness we need to be looking for something else?

That’s what my guest argues in her book. Her name is Emily Esfahani Smith and she’s the author of The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed with Happiness.

We begin our discussion talking about the difference between happiness and meaning and why the latter brings more fulfillment. Emily then highlights research that shows more and more Westerners are reporting that their life lacks meaning and the theories as to why that is. She then breaks down what the three pillars of a meaningful life are and what we can do to experience them. Emily and I then discuss whether it’s really possible to create meaning by yourself and whether or not it requires being embedded in a religious or spiritual tradition.

What is meaning? Connecting to something other than yourself. Many of the things that we connected with in the past have kind of faded from popularity, such as religion, patriotism and community. Although, they're making a comeback.

There is a discussion in the podcast of the three stages of development of a society...pre-development where the focus is on survival, where the institutions of religion and community are strong, developed where the society is thriving and people tend to move away from the institutions that gave meaning to their lives and post-developed...where these things are gaining again in importance.

These ideas kind of fit in with Turnings, which I wrote about here. We're probably entering the Crisis Turning, if we're not there already, which usually strengthens societal institutions, such as church and community:

The saeculum is broken up into four periods: First Turning (High), Second Turning (Awakening), Third Turning (Unraveling), Fourth Turning (Crisis). Each lasts roughly 20 years, just as the generations do. It’s helpful to imagine these periods as the seasons of the year. The Awakening is the summer of the saeculum, and the Crisis is the winter. The Unraveling (fall) and High (spring) are the transitional seasons. An Awakening changes a society’s culture; a Crisis changes its public life.

The Baby Boomer generation came of age during an Awakening Turning, Gen X during an Unraveling and Millennials during a Crisis.

Although these institutions aren't required to find meaning, they often make it easier. But how do Millennials relate to religion? Here's an excerpt from an article from The Huffington Post:.

At the same time, studies also indicate that Millennials treasure meaning and purpose in much of what they do, especially in their work and in relationships, along with positive “do-good” mission trips. They are less motivated by money and professional advancement than previous generations. However, because today’s Millennials are also the products of moral relativism, religiously taught on many college campuses, their relationships are becoming more unsustainable since relationship-building requires the very values that are being called into question. In addition, they wrestle, as we all do, with the seeming randomness of life where bad things seem to happen for apparently no reason.

Also:

But that’s just one advantage religion has for Millennials. Perhaps even more importantly, religion offers a moral compass, a value system so desperately needed to navigate the turbulent waters of morality and ethical issues with which we are all confronted. Ethical relativism and value neutrality make today’s world a confusing place with little definition of where the lines for right and wrong are drawn. Even more reason for organized religion to share its teachings that have been developed over millennia. The cohort of 18-29-year-olds are frequently unmoored by the shifts in what is and isn’t acceptable with regards to ethics in the workplace and morality in social relationships. It’s time for the clergy to step up, reach out and help young people find guidelines that will resonate and provide a haven. Religious leaders have become convinced that young people simply don’t care about what we have to say and that is just not the case. Young people are looking for guidance. We just must make a compelling case for how a core teaching of our faith can make a difference.

So, listen to the podcast to find out more about how to find meaning in your life and see if it's a better path to finding happiness!