HAPPINESS: THE GOAL OF LIFE AND ETERNAL LIFE

A friend on Facebook recently posted the following:
          Ignorance + Religion = Terrorism
          Ignorance + Power = Tyranny
          Ignorance + Freedom = Chaos
          Ignorance + Money = Corruption
          Ignorance + Poverty = Crime
          Ignorance is the root of all evil

          Education is the key

I responded that although this is true it is not so simple:  these equations can yield the same results even when “ignorance” is substituted by “education.”  And she sadly agreed.

           Needless to say, this exchange leads me to a contemplation of our present world’s state in the light of the 2^nd reading this weekend from the Letter of James.  The author recognizes that the real problems in society are not necessarily ignorance but jealousy and selfish ambition and passions. 

          But I want to suggest an alternative set of equations:

          Humility + Religion = Active Love
          Humility + Power = Justice
          Humility + Freedom = Contentment
          Humility + Money = Philanthropy
          Humility + Poverty = Gratitude (if the other features above are in place)

A quote I once read echoes James (here I am paraphrasing from memory)—
          If all we ever wanted in life was to be happy, there would be no problem.  But then we want to be happier than someone else, or happier instead of someone else, and there is the entryway to all our problems.
It seems we aren’t satisfied to be happy with others; we too often want to be happy instead of others.  We seem genetically determined to make everything a competition in which there must be winners and losers…

          From Genesis through Aristotle to the Baltimore Catechism, we are taught that the goal of life and eternity is happiness—beatitude in and with God.  We are given the path and opportunity to live that happiness here and now.  And we choose instead to establish rivalries instead of relationships.  On a trivial level it looks like the poisoning of the trees in Toomer’s Corner in Auburn; in terrible ways it looks like what is and likely will continue to be in Afghanistan.  It’s all because we cannot agree to live and love as family—there must be those on top and those below.  Why?

          Perhaps I should have substituted “Repentance” for “Humility”…