Happiness Gurus: Salvation is at Hand

We do not need statistics from expert researchers and famous professors to tell us that in spite of all our progress and economic well-being, happiness continue to elude many of us. The ordinary person in the street could verify this reality. Notwithstanding, many prominent people have had a conversion of heart by acknowledging that there is more to life than making-money - especially since  banks have been gambling it away, in mind boggling sums. And do not be fooled: lessons have not been learnt!

Now the recently launched “Action for Happiness movement” [http://www.actionforhappiness.org/] with its own web-page has come to our rescue. Their intention is to help us counter the rising tide of excessive individualism. The aim of the group is to request from those who have signed up, a personal commitment to be able to produce “more happiness and less misery”.  How commendable!

It is not insignificant that the people who are behind this project and those who make up its Board are intellectually and materially well-endowed. While there is certainly the need for people to find happiness and to work towards making others happy, one is struck by the very privileged nature of this whole undertaking. 

The call is to make happiness contagious so that it will spread like wildfire! But I do wonder how much this will achieve in countering “the epidemic of lowliness and isolation”. For starters, what we mean by happiness will certainly vary and will be measured differently. The webpage of “Action for Happiness” does have a number of practical tips for inputting things “that matter most”.

Yet some of it, for example, their suggested ten (10) keys to happier living is quite revealing in terms of its middle class ethos and very privileged take on happiness. I wonder if these colleagues know the world of poor people in the UK or have them in mind! I am sure poor people will know about giving, relating, exercising, appreciating, trying out etc. But such knowledge is not necessarily by choice, but as a result of the harsh realities of their existence, mostly caused by an economic system on which the rich thrive. They come to such by the forced realities of their circumstances, largely caused by an economic system that dehumanises people - and not by choice!

It is here that “action for happiness” should do some more work – meaning that happier living may necessitate giving up on higher incomes and our present economic model! Putting well-being on the agenda must be a costly undertaking as we reorient our lives around God’s economy, otherwise we end up bowing down to the obsessive idol of wealth, and happiness becomes another item to be sold. The reality is that almost every store, supermarket and shop offers happiness assuring us that they are working for our happiness - not their shareholders stock price and for enormous profit margin!

Action for happiness? Well there are already lots of tips in the sacred scriptures. Take the teachings and example of Jesus as one model: he offers a counter version of the dominant version, challenging life prioritised by competition, efficiency and survival of the fittest. His choice is simple: an offer between a life dominated by a consumer/market world or one that trusts in God’s faithfulness and takes the Divine (awe, mystery etc) seriously! Indeed, happiness here is a qualitatively different way of seeing our world, our priorities, lifestyles etc. So, “consider the lilies…” is more than a minor off the cuff statement: it is full of possibilities as it is demanding of a radical re-orienting of our lives.

© copyright May 16, 2011

Security, Fear and Easter Hopes

Given the gadgets we entomb ourselves with, our present economic demise, airport queues, political turmoil in the Middle East, and the continuing terror alerts: security certainly captures our imagination. Almost all the ads that bombard us feature a threat to some form of our security/well-being and then offers a product that offers salvation from the threat! Everyone and everything is interested in keeping us safe. At least, this is what we are led to believe.

Security must have also been on high alert, given all the reported claims from Jesus about coming back to life. That will be disastrous for the status quo, hence the attempts to make the tomb secure and to give a sense of having things under control. Control is what we seek today as fears multiply around us. Who will roll the stones of fears away?  How would we ever get out of our economic meltdown, secure more jobs, deal firmly with immigration to the UK, close our borders from sanctuary seekers and be tough on terror?

Easter and resurrection suggest that all our efforts at making the tomb secure and at ‘sealing things’ merely serve to create a greater sense of our own insecurities. In the Easter and post-Easter stories, the Divine breaks through all human attempts to safely contain (Status Quo); to follow from a safe distance (Peter); and to wash our hands from taking responsibility as agents of death (Pilate). There was also that unpredictable earthquake that shattered the security cordon around the tomb, causing some to faint from fright! The women, of course, did manage to maintain consciousness, able to ride the surprises around them, unafraid, and running to (not from) share the good news. Easter meant boldness and freedom for them, not having their lives dictated by the agents of death. Death, of course, is so easy to accept as the norm as it is all around us. It is more difficult to believe that life will triumph over death and good over evil.

Easter affirms that God is not in the business of formulating a strategy for containment, but an adventure of generous abundance. This is the fullness of life project which is at the heart of our life together as Easter communities. Easter declares: that God is creating a new heaven and a new earth (which we desperately need), that love is working overtime and that biodegradability is not the final word. God is still speaking! A new day with new possibilities has dawned and now our part in the story of Easter begins! How are we planning to live and practice an Easter life-style?

© copyright April 18, 2011

Resurrection, Protest and the Good Samaritan

Joining the massive protest march (March 23^rd), the coalition of resistance, has been a highpoint Lenten experience for me. I gave up writing about protesting and took to the streets with the thousands protesting – hopefully making a statement against heartless and some clueless politics (not to mention politicians! I lost track of the number of poignant, creative and stinging placards carried by protestors of all ages on this protest.

As we marched in what I can only describe as a Carnival atmosphere, I wondered if I had my bible on me, what scripture passage would I read and how different that reading would have been. I am sure there will be many texts. The thought crossed my mind, however, as I had only recently come across the practice of what has been referred to as “dislocated exegesis” - the practice of reading scripture in unexpected places, in places that might unsettle the reading you were accustomed to or likely to bring to the text from the comfort of one’s desk or office.

The text that came to mind, as it was easy to remember having heard it so many times (besides preaching on it!) was the story of the Good Samaritan. What did I hear differently, as the very familiar words of this narrative replayed in my ears and my mind on the march?

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho…” The thousands journeying on this march took on this journey in solidarity against inconsiderate economic policies that would affect very vulnerable people. In the eyes of the government and the banking institutions, I suppose we would not be considered “the good protestors” but largely idiots who do not understand the economic mess we are in, who are unable to give up our comfortable lives and people who can only moan and whinge! It must have been mind-blowing to juxtapose “good” alongside “Samaritan”, as it is to do so (in the minds of many) alongside the very diverse group of protestors on that march!

There were many neighbours on this solidarity or coalition march – unlikely ones, but neighbours nevertheless – who may have beeen (or are) victims themselves, but who are certainly on the march for the many victims our economic policies have attacked, battered and left for dead on the roadside. I recall the words of Gustavo Gutierrez: “the neighbour is not the one whom I find in my path, but rather the one in whose path I place myself, the one whom I approach and actively seek.” When this happens it is not only the world that will change, but also our ways of acting in it. This is when protest marches are then translated in concrete policies that change the ways we manage our economic life together.

Participating in the protest march brought alive for me the need to revisit the assailants in the story of the Good Samaritan – who often go unnoticed in the story. I mean those who assault, leave people naked, wounded and bleeding to death at the wayside of history. They would continue to go unnoticed as long as we only go down from Jerusalem to Jericho to treat the wounded with compassion, without it ever dawning upon us that that we are only binding up wounds while nothing changes. Binding up wounds isn't enough; we have got to also ensure that people don't need to be bound up in the first place. More radical steps are necessary in order to get at the root of the problem. This is the task before us which that march brought forcefully back to me. The “coalition of resistance must turn into “coalition of change” that starts with each one of us! After all, in economic terms (to employ its own logic): it is cheaper to eliminate poverty and social ills than to maintain it! We need an alternative system not a bandaged up and redressed one!

copyright March 29, 2011

Connecting Random Thoughts

It was a long day of meetings and then having to travel back to London (Euston) on a three hour train journey. Though tired, I was happy when we reached London and I was looking forward to pick up something form the M&S just at Euston station. The fact that it was crowded (as it was just around the afternoon rush-hour) proved slightly irritating. I was anticipating a well deserved meal! So after collecting my items and joining the queue at the checkout, I was in no mood for the question the youngman at the till asked me. “What size bag will you need sir, for your purchases?” I was tired and I thought it was a foolish question, so out rolled my answer: “One in which the items will fit!” I was thinking: “why such a difficult or even philosophical question when I was so tired?” The person paying at the till next to me, who overheard my comment could not hold back her laughter, saying to me (as the tills are so closely squashed together:) “You know, for a long time I have been thinking what answer I can possible give to this question every time I shop here. And you have just provided it: it’s funny!”

I was thinking more than humour. I was aware why the question was asked; as M&S wants to give the impression that it is eco-conscious, as it will get people to use their own shopping bags or think about the environment when we use plastic bags. I do shop with my own bags! But I was just returning from a day of meetings and like many others at that time of the day one would rarely be expected to have a shopping bag with them. Besides, if I had asked for a large bag then I had to pay for it! I was not charged for the one I eventually got as I simply placed the ball back into the cashier’s court. He actually gave me a large bag without a cost (which by the way, I am reusing). In thinking more about the incident, I must say I am dubious of M&S eco intentionality in this specific location, as I can see them making lots of money just on their bags with the number of people rushing from work and doing a purchase!!!! Large or small, it is still plastic! They should go further and do less packaging of items that can be purchased as loose items! Perhaps, then our purchases will fit in the work-bags we are travelling with.

And since I am on the matter of shopping, allow me to share with you how challenging it is to find a good book to read: it is not as easy as one would expect., in spite of all the reviews around! Imagine the amount of forest used to produce the sheer number of books published these days! Just walking through one of the larger bookshops can make one become dazed by the choice. But look closer and you will notice that what is being stocked is nothing more that those popular titles that booksellers/publishers want us to read. I suppose one need to understand that publishers/bookshops are in the business of “selling books”. They are not too concerned about what I wish to read or what I consider a good read (in itself a subjective undertaking). Hype, of course, sells like hotcakes in our world of instant micro-celebrity and where everyone thinks they have a biography to write that is worth reading. And, while walking through Waterstones may give the impression that before me is an array of choices, what is nearer to the truth is that my choice may be very very limited. In the meantime there are still a number of timeless volumes on my shelf that I can reach for and re-read with great pleasure!

© copyright March 13, 2011

I am online, therefore I am

I wonder what future historians would make of us – especially our world of technological gadgets. Take a few examples: Communicating via what used to be written letters (post-snail mail) is not our first choice when it comes to contacting people. Even telephones are becoming silent, except for those call centres! We are increasingly being pushed to communicate via twitter, sms texting, facebook and other forms of social online networking media. We are in instant and constant contact, with wires enmeshing us in our own designed world. Some may wish to argue that all these technology have made life simpler and easier. It is comforting to know that I can be in contact at an instant with those very close to me. But do I really need the devices? Should I be pressured to use them just because people around me use them? It is difficult asking someone for direction without tapping them on the shoulders and then having them unplug their earphones! I have found that having a mobile phone while doing shopping only serves to make me less decisive and creative in what I need to purchase, as I more than often revert to a call home for advice on what kind or sort of the needed item I should purchase or check on some unnecessary item, not on my shopping list, just because there is a deal on. Also, why should I be checking how my sons are doing at university every weekend or during the week, when I was more than happy during my university days to have the freedom and space to enjoy university life with my peers and without my parents checking on me!

And the technological advancement does not stop with the above. If, for instance, you are stuck in a traffic-jam, salvation is at hand! Instead of fuming more than your vehicles' exhaust pipe, it is now possible, with some help from bump http://goo.gl/djnU to pass your time more creatively! In our wired world you can pass your time by perusing the face-book profiles of your new neighbours in that traffic jam. The above website and iphone appliance use registration numbers to bring social networking to the roads: just forget road works, social networking is more exciting! While a US craze, it is only a matter of time before it is here. The possibilities are mind boggling with what one can do with “bump” while caught in a traffic-jam! The only caveat is that you should not be behind the steering wheel. I am sure though that with the development of virtual augmented reality, sitting behind the wheel will not be a problem in coming years!

And if the above is not enough: how about what is referred to as persuasive computing: the idea of using software to change our beliefs and behaviour. The tools used range from the power of suggestion to surveillance and conditioning methods such as positive reinforcement. The intention, as with most scientific advancement, is to use this method to encourage good behaviour from us: for instance eating less, exercising more, and not forgetting trying to get us to buy something. After all we need to spend to get the economy going – even though we do not need the stuff! But the larger question looms like the sword of Damocles over our head: what would happen to us when such personalised subliminal mind control via our PC’s and other gadgets become a way of life? Facebook’s question as soon we are logged on may look simple. But “What’s on your mind?” is not a value free question! It is smart persuasive deployment known as “tunnelling”. The psychology runs this way: it will make us feel good that our friends know and care about us: but the reality is that it hooks us to only want to come back again and again. Just try keeping a tab on your computing and online behaviour and even try calculating the time you spend on face-book to understand what is actually happening! By becoming hooked to the webpage, we end up making the site very profitable. But more than this, there are a host of “peeping companies” targeting us with selected advertisements and products. And according to one observer: before we know it our lives are subtly taken over and we are unconsciously sucked into changing our behaviour without even being aware of it!

And a final thought: how about the fact that we also end up saying and doing things in cyberspace that we wouldn't ordinarily say or do in the face-to-face world? Our gadgets and our online world allow many of us loosen up, feel less inhibited, and express ourselves more openly. Researchers call this the “dis-inhibitive effect”. But it is also - a double-edged sword. Sometimes we share very personal things about ourselves: revealing secret emotions, fears, wishes. Or we may show unusual acts of kindness and generosity. On the other hand, the dis-inhibition can spill over into rude language, harsh criticisms, anger, hatred, intolerance and even threats. If dis-inhibition affords us an opportunity to understand and explore oneself, to work through problems and find new ways of being, then great! But if on the other hand, it is simply unaware catharsis, about acting out our bigoted needs, and wishes without any personal growth at all, then we have a real problem!

© copyright February 7, 2011

Lessons to be Learned - Lessons have been Learned

No, I am not referring to the 2008 debut album of the Australian singer-songwriter, Gabriella Cilmi. Rather, I am referring to a depressing mantra of which I have lost count of the number of times the words oozed out of the mouths of politicians, bureaucrats, bankers, policy advisers and people in responsible positions. Indeed, lessons to be learned: from the near or actual “banking collapse’, from ‘students protests that got out of hand’, from the negligence and bad practice that resulted in the death of patients, from the total gridlock and shut-down of our transport system when it snows...The list is endless and the answers and the above stock mantra are mindboggling. Banks, bankers and their insistence on calculator breaking bonuses (in terms of digits) underscore that lessons are far from being learned!

Sitting at the receiving end of this now trite and clichéd comment, one can be excused for uttering unrepeatable expletives and throwing objects at one’s telly. This is more so the case as it becomes quickly evident that the same mistakes or problems were encountered the previous year or not so long ago. One can legitimately ask: what are these lessons? How do we know that they have been learnt? Who are the ones learning? What assurance can the public be given that they have been learned? Who are monitoring whether these lessons are learned or not? And what happens if they are repeated again? More bonuses and salary increments?

If lessons are not learned, at least they should be paid attention to, so that we will not make the same mistakes again. But, the overwhelming evidence before us is that we seem unable to learn lessons. Or if we do, we quickly revert to our restrictive and bad habits. Perhaps we are not even sure what mistakes we are making and where we have gap in our assets and the management of the same. As one colleague noted recently: lessons are learned, but after missing the boat umpteen times or finding oneself up the creek too often! It is a strange phenomenon that with all our management gurus, experts, highly paid CEO’s, and pundits we still cannot grasp that lessons are really not learned until relevant process assets have been improved and the process becomes core to the life of an organisation or department.

Perhaps, the tendency towards the quick and glib comment about “lessons have been learned” is more a reflection of an ingrained excuse-a-holic habit we are yet to acknowledge. What starts as a personal habit, becomes part of the national psyche. The “excuses” we deploy to deny responsibility for our actions and what may be happening in our lives become mirrored in many manifestations of the Status Quo. No wonder much of our politics can be seen as projecting blame onto the other political group or some past ghost, while effectively denying responsibility to address problems and change direction for the well being of all. In the end unreality characterises much of our political and economic lives, and we become our own helpless victims. The sad irony is that we still continue to behave as if we can assume some high moral ground to be able to wag our fingers in the face of those less than perfect nations and peoples!

© copyright January 15, 2011