A Higher Authority

Living in the United States, we enjoy an incredibly high quality of life: materially speaking, that is.

I’m the first to admit that I’m spoiled by the luxuries of life in this country. Even people who subsist below the poverty line in the United States have far greater resources than people living in so many third world countries. All in all, we have it pretty good.

And yet, considering all of these facts, why are so many people unhappy?

While the United States stands at the top of the charts with regards to wealth, we remain near the bottom in terms of our general happiness and contentment. Strange, isn’t it? That we can have so much, and yet remain so unfulfilled?

In psychology there exists a concept called Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs. Basically, Maslow outlined the distinctive order of needs that all human beings strive for.

First come the most basic: physiological and then safety needs. Then comes love, belonging, and esteem needs. And the last items on the hierarchy involve higher ideals such as self-actualization and self-transcendence.

These terms refer to things like reaching your own unique potential and fulfilling spiritual needs.

In America, the vast majority of us have our lower needs fulfilled. In other words, most of us have what we need in order to live a materially comfortable existence. It’s the higher psychological needs that we seem to be failing at.

Our society does a great job of making us believe that many of our lower level necessities are really the extent of our needs. America puts a misguided amount of focus on materialism and superficiality. And this leads to a great deal of confusion about what it takes to be truly happy.

Women’s magazines would have us believe that happiness comes from slim thighs, a cute boyfriend, and a closet full of expensive clothes. (Speaking from experience I can tell you it doesn’t!) And I think most of us realize that such goals are not going to bring anything but passing pleasure.

So what does it take to be happy? And why are so many people doing a lousy job at achieving it?

In this day and age, with so much focus placed on making money and chasing fame, I think many of the traditional values people used to focus their lives on are dissipating.

Happiness stems from a feeling of purpose in one’s life. It comes from loving and being loved, and knowing that your life on this earth means something. If you spend your life chasing material things and hollow companionship, you will never find it.

The decline of spirituality in this country certainly plays a part in people’s lack of purpose. Religion and a belief in a higher power allow people to see that there’s more to life. Religion teaches about moral laws, and caring for others, and having gratitude for what God has given you. Without this influence, many people find themselves at a loss regarding their purpose in life.

While I have always believed in God, I am finding recently that focusing more on my inner spiritual life has a great deal to do with my outer happiness. Religion (whichever one we may choose) gives us something to strive for, to look up to, and it gives us continued hope for a better tomorrow.

Keep in mind that when I say religion, this can refer to any higher power of your choosing. It can refer to God, or Buddha, or Nature, or even just the energy of the universe. Definition is unimportant.

What counts is the knowledge that there is something more than our petty human squabbles, and that our lives should be put to worthwhile use.

I realize that organized religion is not the answer for everyone, and I’m not saying that it will solve all of our country’s problems. But I am saying that many of the principles of a spiritual belief system could be well applied to our own lives, whatever our beliefs.

We could all use a little more hope, a little more kindness, a little more knowledge that everything will be okay! I know far too many people who think life is about partying, and wasting your days away with no goals in sight.

It’s tempting to fall into this hedonistic mindset, but a greater focus on spirituality gives us a better perspective on what life is really about.

Religious or not, I think Americans would be better off realizing that happiness cannot be bought or sold, but has to be found within each one of us.

The sooner we take the time to identify our own purpose in life, the sooner happiness will stop eluding us…and the more we’ll be able to appreciate the many blessings we’ve been given as Americans.

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