Of Happiness…

In her book, Kushiel’s Mercy written by author Jacqueline Carey, one of her characters states, “Happiness is the highest form of wisdom.” I am still surprised how much that statement resonated then and still does today for me. So much is implied by this simple statement, choice, intelligence, action, decision, maturity… I am reminded of an old zen story, that when  an old monk was asked why he was always happy, he responded, “Upon waking, every morning I am faced with the choice of being happy or not, and I always choose happy.” On the surface this story sounds shallow, but when one attaches the word wisdom as in the quote from Jacqueline Carey, things take a deeper tone. Yes, happiness can be a splash in shallow waters, but it can also be a deepness, a real expression of rootedness in this world, understanding. Consider too the quote from Aristotle  ‘Happiness is the highest good’. There are some mystic understandings that we have a responsibility to live beautifully in the world, and to that I might add we also have a responsibility to be happy, for ourselves, for each other, to open the windows and doors of our being, and let happiness be from inside and out.