Lesson 1: Our View of the World

It’s not what you do, or what you have, it’s how you view the world that makes you happy.

Think about this. We all know famous and rich people who have died prematurely through suicide or drug overdoses or from other forms of despair despite the amount of fame or money and possessions that they may have had. On the other hand, we know of primitive tribes in the Amazon, Africa and other Third World areas who live on day-to-day sustenance with little else in their possessions, but they seem happy and content with themselves, their relations, and life. We don’t have to look to these extremes to realize that material things and social status are not the foundation for happiness despite the fact that they clearly make living much easier and more comfortable for most of us.

Here’s a corollary to Lesson 1:

Our view of the world is almost totally shaped by the experiences through which we have lived.

Unfortunately most of us have had negative or even traumatic experiences in our lives that have caused us to develop fearful, defensive, and often self-defeating views of ourselves and the world that tend to get in the way of being able to make the best of the world that we have to live in. That’s where effective therapy or good support from helpful people can come in.