The
Happiness Factor
“There
is no duty which we so much underrate as that of being happy.”
Robert
Louis Stevenson
I
participated in the AIDS Walk yesterday afternoon. It had been
several years since I attended this particular event, and I was
surprised to see so many people turn out. My church handed out lots
of cups and refrigerator magnets and candy. Bands played, choirs
sang, entertainers entertained; people brought their kids and their
dogs. It was a happy time at the park. There seemed to be a level of
comfort in the crowd that I hadn't seen before. Perhaps that is
because AIDS is becoming more a chronic disease than a death
sentence, but I believe it is more than that.
It
seems to me that the level of understanding has broadened; tolerance
for all kinds of people has increased. Perhaps the specter of a
killing disease that cuts across all cultures, ethnic groups and
social strata, brought us to a place of acceptance and compassion.
Sometimes even the darkest of clouds has a silver lining.
It
makes me happy to see all manner of people being kind to one another,
people whose paths don't cross in their day-to-day life. So often we
focus on the negative goings-on in our world that we forget that good
stuff is happening, too. It's easy to get caught up in what is wrong,
and miss entirely all that is right. It is for me anyway. As they
say, happiness doesn't sell newspapers or make it onto the cable news
channels. These days you have to make a conscious effort to find the
positive events in our world. The AIDS Walk was that for me.
Lets
face it; people who are tolerant, kind and accepting are happier than
people who are intolerant, hateful and rejecting. Seems obvious,
doesn't it? British novelist, Samuel Butler, once wrote, “All
animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to
enjoy it.” I hope that today you enjoy your life, and that you are
kind to everyone you meet. You'll be happier for it.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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