(written in 2007)
Long ago, I wanted to study further but couldn't because I had to undergo the initiation program to be a religious sister. After the 10-year initiation program into the sisterhood, our mother superior allowed me to study again.
At that point, I thought about what was the best thing to do and asked myself: "Will I become happy if I study more?" The answer was "no." I thought studying further could bring some achievement, but not true happiness.
So I simply gave up studying and made up my mind to dedicate myself to the sisterhood. Since then, I have enjoyed and appreciated my sisterhood in spite of various obstacles. Of course, I sometimes wonder if I'm walking well according to the will of God.
What is happiness? How can we be happy? Where can we find happiness? What is holiness? How is happiness related to holiness? Can we be truly happy and live the present moment to the fullest?
Nomads of the fourth century went into the desert to find a deeper meaning of life and true happiness. Did they find inner happiness? In the midst of stillness and mortification, they learned the importance of being fully alive in the present moment and realized the true meaning of happiness.
It is said that the would-be lively youth is facing a crisis of values. Against traditional values and religious education, modern people emphasize making more money, becoming successful, and enjoying themselves more and more. Because of ambition, much noise and movement is caused and violates inner peace. Young people look happy and joyful, but many people feel depressed and commit suicide. Depression has become another metaphor for contemporary society.
Looking into this situation deeply, we can read that people are constantly seeking happiness. In fact, all of us are created for happiness. How can we be happy? Many people identify happiness with success and feeling good, but happiness has a spiritual dimension, which means we also have to abandon, give up, suffer and die so as to be holy and spiritual.
"The Saints' Guide to Happiness: Everyday wisdom from the lives of the saints" by Robert Ellsberg talks about the secret of happiness. St. Ireneus said the glory of God is in the human being fully alive and Thomas Merton said the gate of heaven is everywhere.
St. Augustine, St. Theresa, and St. Francis lived life fully alive. The way to live happiness and holiness is not far away from us; it is in the present moment here and now. Happiness is a matter of being, a matter of being fully alive.
The Saints' Guide to Happiness deals not only with such saints as Augustine, Francis, Teresa of Avila, etc. but also such mystics, spiritual seekers, and spiritual writers as Julian of Norwich, Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Tolstoy, etc.
Asking the meaning and purpose of life, this book talks about 8 ways of living happily in the present moment. The 8 ways of learning to be alive, learning to let go, learning to work, learning to sit still, learning to love, learning to suffer, learning to die, and learning to see are waiting for us to live happily every moment.
Robert Ellsberg has reflected on the lives of saints and holy people for many years and looked for the meaning and purpose of being. He asked himself 'how does the call to be saints relate to the human desire to live a whole and happy life?'
He left the college to experience the Catholic Worker with Dorothy Day. Then, he returned to college to finish his studies. He has read many books on saints. He devoured medieval legends, spiritual memoirs, and manuals of devotion. However, he realized it is not what we read but what we practice that makes the difference.
Each day, we are facing failures and distractions, but we still yearn to be happy. All of us yearn to be more fully alive and confront the challenge of being the true self. This desire is a call to a more abundant life. Why don't we look into the inner longing and choose the better way?
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2007/09/137_10816.html
The
Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ Sept. 27, 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment