The Pursuit of Happiness by Darrin M. McMahon

In Christianity, it became an angel or patron saint. To the Romans, genius was a spirit that acted as an intercessor between people and the gods. Like happiness, it has a strong religious connection. Instead, he has begun working on a book on genius, a concept nearly as ephemeral as happiness. “Historians and people who study the past tend to be drawn a little bit to the dark side.'

“There have been so many books on melancholy and depression and so forth, but very little on happiness,' he said. McMahon sees no reason, though, for a sequel on the flip side of happiness because it’s already been done. “It’s only when other things are taken care of - food supply, a minimum of security and so forth - that you can worry about something as frivolous as happiness.' “The pursuit of happiness is a privilege,' McMahon said. Societies in the past or today coping with famine, disease or warfare are unlikely to spend much time contemplating happiness. He acknowledged his story of happiness is rooted in Western culture and wealthier societies. “You need other things, and they’ll talk about family and they’ll talk about love and they’ll talk about meaning and so forth.' “You push most people and they will admit that, well, it’s not enough to be happy simply to be pleasured as it were,' he said. While pleasure today has become virtually synonymous with happiness, McMahon believes the older concept of a life well lived has not been entirely lost. “Jefferson stressed that virtue had a place in a happy life, but also healthy pleasures as it were,' McMahon said. During the Enlightenment, though, thinkers began to focus more on pleasure and the ability of people to pursue, if not always attain, happiness. “It had to be the whole record.'Ĭhristianity maintained the link between virtue and happiness. “It had to do with living a good life,' McMahon said.

The Pursuit of Happiness by Darrin M. McMahon