Craving

There is evidence to suggest that we are living in a world that is craving more, fearing much, and feeling greater and greater helplessness. The news blogs and publications; the political polls and debates; and our entertainment and social commentaries would indicate anxious tendencies. Blaise Pascal was a mathematician, physicist, and philosopher of the 17^th century. Even in his era, the seeds of dissatisfaction had already been sown.

“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”
- Blaise Pascal, Pensées VII(425)

Where does one find true happiness? How do we return to sanity and health? Is the answer found in abandoning God or in including God in the solution? Each reader must seek an answer but they need not do it alone. We are all fellow-travelers who need one another. Our mental health and well-being depend upon this.

Happy, Blessed, Grace

 

Poems and songs are always a work-in-progress and never feel quite complete. But then, I guess that is especially appropriate for poems about grandchildren - they are definitely a work-in-progress. This one is for Gwyneth Anna Mitchell born 2016-09-14.

Happy, Blessed, Grace

She is Blessed to be a Blessing

True Happiness guides her ways

Her voice speaks truth and life and Grace

Gwyneth Anna is born today

Grace, Grace, God’s Grace

Charisma will follow her all of her days

Gift from the Lord to do His work

Redeemed by the One who gave all

Ambassador for worlds unseen

Child of God and child of the fall

Grace, Grace, God’s Grace

Charisma will follow her all of her days

Blessed to see redemption draw near

To see His Grace and truth and light

New birth that shows the purpose

Shining bright in darkness of night

Grace, Grace, God’s Grace

Charisma will follow her all of her days

A name that comes from the old world

From a land of mountains and sea

To a place of peaks and ocean

To a girl who is Blessed and free

Grace, Grace, God’s Grace

Charisma will follow her all of her days

Maslow and Human Happiness

A recent article in the Vancouver Sun (August 27, 2010) is causing debate about American psychologist Abraham Maslow's famous "pyramid of needs." Many of us have taken a psych course somewhere along the line that introduced us to Maslow's pyramid of needs which has held sway since 1943. Maslow's theory suggests that the search for "self-actualization" is the top of the pyramid. This is a person's highest goal.

But recent research printed in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Sciences by UBC researcher Prof. Mark Schaller and colleagues suggests that "the pursuit of self-realization, and the self-absorption that can often go with it, are not nearly as important to humans as the need to find and keep a supportive partner and raise healthy children." The "researchers are suggesting humans are much more likely to find well-being by giving to others -- including kids, partners and other loved ones -- than by narrowly focusing on their own happiness."

The Vancouver Sun article goes on to point out that, even as the research is debated and questioned, these researchers have done a great service by challenging the idea that the way to human happiness lies in seeking self-actualization. After all, the search for self-actualization often becomes nothing more than an addiction to consumption, fleeting pleasure and narcissism. What might happen if a new generation of psych students were taught that the way to human happiness lies in loving a spouse, caring for children, and having empathy for others?