"Formula for Our Happiness"

happiness is a noble goal—it rests on principle and selfhood

“We few, we happy few”—Henry V, Shakespeare

All of us are united by one principle: “pursuit of Happiness.”

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), who wrote the phrase in 1776, capitalized his object.

Happiness means—not contentment—but agency.

It is a noble pursuit. I once said, “What we call happiness is avoidance of the work.” I was wrong. Or, put differently, happiness may be seen as an indirect approach.

But—and this is key—happiness will fail on all counts unless it is approached as principle versus event.

That is why Jefferson framed (and capitalized) Happiness as part of the individual search for meaning.

To facilitate pursuit of Happiness—in a manner sounded in esoteric and classical philosophy and ethics—this article addresses the most common and reversible source of unhappiness: impaired self-image.

For some, quoting Jefferson earns me a one-way ticket to Palookaville—but I trust my readers to apply their own standard of demarcation. Any who cannot, or will not, are in the wrong company.

A rare fraction of us attempt to apply anything: we drift and react. But there is a finer movement within our declining current of life.

Those who attempt what I prescribe here will grow happier. And quickly. I vow it. Test me.