The second paragraph of the American Declaration of Independence includes the following important statement: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. This resolution was adopted on July 4, 1776 in Independence Mall in Philadelphia. As a resident of Philadelphia I have visited the Mall and the Liberty Bell (which is in the adjacent building) on many occasions. When I am in the building I always think of the fact that outstanding individuals like Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson and many others stood at the very same spot about 225 years before me and signed a document that changed the history of the world.
America was the first major British colony to become independent and the British Empire as we know it came to an end after India became an independent nation about 171 years later in 1947. The concepts mentioned in the Declaration of Independence and in the American Constitution were later widely used in the constitutions and laws of many countries including India. Ambedkar who was a major contributor to the Indian constitution was a student at Columbia University from 1913 onwards (he got a masters degree in arts and a doctorate in philosophy). He was greatly influenced by the first amendment to the US constitution known as the “Bill of Rights”.
Of late I have started thinking about what happiness means. The founding fathers of America obviously thought that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness where three equally important rights. They also seem to mention that these rights are endowed by their creator (most non-believers would argue that these rights are important whether there is a creator or not). Nobody can argue about the right to life and liberty. It has to be noted that America still has the death penalty and America does go to war. It is also important to point out that although the goals mentioned in the Declaration of Independence are lofty, most of the signatories of the document did have slaves (slaves those days were considered as property).
For most of us the pursuit of happiness is nothing but pursuit of money. We are happy when we have money. The occasional death or illness among friends, relatives or loved ones will make us stop and think briefly about the direction we are going but then as time goes on we are back on the money trail again. Money is a necessary evil and the whole system is rigged to make sure that we cannot jump ship (except the few lucky human beings who live in remote parts of the world). The question is no longer how to live without money (most people cannot) but how limit the impact of money in your life (this question only applies to those who have come to the conclusion that money cannot give you happiness).
So what makes us happy? One way to think about this is to analyze what makes us unhappy. For some of us collection calls from people we owe money to would make us unhappy. For others it would be a foreclosure of our homes by the banks or illness or death of a person you admire or love. The Buddhists offer an interesting insight into this problem. Buddhism concedes that there will be pain and suffering in the world. The Buddhists also point out that the way to free yourself from the pain and suffering is not to get attached to anything. This is a tough solution but maybe viable (how can you not get attached to your parents although you know that one day they will leave you alone on this earth which will cause you pain, suffering and unhappiness?). This solution although not practical in the real world does however offer pointers on what needs to be done to be happier (the overall summary is that we should make sure that we do not get attached to material things and in accumulating wealth).
In the book “Authentic Happiness” psychologist Martin E.P. Seligman points out the happy people typically spend time with friends and family. They in general do not compare their status or living standards with their neighbors, friends or relatives. They lose themselves in daily activities and have short memories. I now think that I have a better understanding of what the founding fathers meant by freedom to pursue happiness. They were probably very happy when they realized that their efforts and sacrifice resulted in the birth of a nation. They wanted the citizens of the new nation to always feel happy, free and liberated as they felt at that great moment in history. But we misinterpreted their intentions. We took that freedom and now live in houses that are too large for us, drive cars that we cannot afford, own multiple television sets, buy things on credit that we cannot pay off and change our wardrobe every time the season changes. The reason that we are unhappy now is that we are no longer free. We are at the mercy of others (creditors) and slave to our addiction to material things. I want our founding fathers to come back and fight again for the freedom that we lost.
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