Happiness 101
The most popular course at Harvard this semester teaches happiness!
“Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:30 a.m., students crowd into Sanders Theatre to learn about creating, as the course description puts it, ''a fulfilling and flourishing life," courtesy of the booming new area of psychology that focuses on what makes people feel good rather than the pathologies that can make them feel miserable.”
For the entire article, go to this LINK
“Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:30 a.m., students crowd into Sanders Theatre to learn about creating, as the course description puts it, ''a fulfilling and flourishing life," courtesy of the booming new area of psychology that focuses on what makes people feel good rather than the pathologies that can make them feel miserable.”
For the entire article, go to this LINK
I heard about this course on NPR, and wanted to google it ever since. I’ve always questioned the whole idea of “Creation of a fulfilling & flourishing life” by attending courses, seminars etc. I’m no psych major, but I suspect some ‘Pavlov-bell-dog-salivation’ thing going on here (ahem…there you go, that’s the length, breadth and depth of my psych knowledge.) Do we really need a conditioned stimulus to produce a happiness response…and fill up every cubic inch of our life with only happiness? Do we need someone to tell us what will, or should make us happy? What about other emotions and experiences? I’d rather live a ‘complete’ life, on my own loose, convenient terms. Yes! Lord Saturn - my scriptwriter & also my ruling planet…you’re fired! I’m going impromptu. Anyway, that’s just me…and I’ve got scars to prove it.
(p.s.: Lord Saturn, you know I'm kidding right. Fired??? Far from it. Guess who got a 50% hike and a spot bonus?)
10 Comments:
Lol! A happiness class??!! Weird!
Saturn's my ruler too. And unlike you, I fired him for good about 5 years ago. It took me a while, but my life's filled with happiness now. :) Time to bring him back maybe? Y'know, just to have a backup?
Nice post, M3. You have some brilliant questions there. I believe the primary purpose of our life is to be happy. Ofcourse we need the sadness to contrast the happiness - or else we would not know the meaning of happiness. I am interested in the class's end results. Have all the students learnt the art of happiness at the end of the day? If I have to go to a class to make me happy, then so be it. This is a case of the end justifying the means. Exitus acta probat.
But let me tell you in the same breath, I believe all the answers to one's questions lie within oneself. Some may need a guru/teacher to direct you to the answers and some others are smart enough to go looking for it on their own, do a little soul searching. I see you belong to the other category. Good for you :)
son, you are sooo on your own from now on...
@ TF: Yeah, kinda weird.
Backup's good...er, would you consider Venus instead ;-)?
@ VC: Don't know if all the kids who took the course came out happy...I've heard that it's an easy 'A', so I guess that's a good start to their flourishing life. M3's dictum: Empta dolore experientia docet!
@ Disgruntled Employee LS:
:-) I sooo thought there'd be such a comment.
son, now that lord saturn has quit, i was wondering if you might be intested in a replacement god ?
feel free to check out my resume at http://www.TheGods.org/Mercury
looking forward to hearing your prayers soon...
sincerely,
lord mercury
Little ones ... Make way for the Masta !
Get back to orbiting or maybe take an extra spin!
The brotha ... don't need no otha !
M3 .. you could call me Jupee.
Reporting for duty on Monday!
Till then .. Awareness and Abundance!
Jolly Jupee
your blog seems to have started a "War of the Lords"
by toutatis, belenos and belisama !! these romans (roman gods) are crazy...
Second wind,
In other words, a clash of celestial bodies - run for cover!!!
Nice, very true, i cant attain happiness through such courses, rather in such a class it would be dam boring to listen, it makes me think y the hell I'm living in this world...
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