Garrison Keillor and happiness
Oct. 8th, 2008 11:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xiphiasA month or two ago, I heard or read SOMETHING, I can't remember where or by who, which pointed out that Garrison Keillor's tagline on his five-minute daily program "Writer's Almanac" was a pretty good summary of how to maintain happiness in life.
At the end of each show, Keillor says, "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®" Yes, it's trademarked. It's also psychologically and philosophically profound.
"Be well.” If you’re sick, in pain, in danger, in dire need, you can’t maintain happiness. The first thing we need for happiness is some level of basic health and safety.
“Do good work.” We need to be active in something that is meaningful. If we’re fortunate, the thing that we do to make money may also be a thing that we find meaningful in a larger sense. If not, then we can use the money that we make to support us, and do our meaningful work outside of those hours.
That work could be raising a family, being a good neighbor, working for social justice, working for government, medicine, creating art -- music, books, jewelry, to name three of the forms of art represented on my friends list, building communities, running science fiction conventions or LARPs, inventing and engineering, working for environmental causes -- anything that you feel is meaningful, because it makes the world a better place, creates enjoyment for people, or is just plain worthwhile in and of itself.
“And keep in touch.” We are social animals. Some of us more so than others -- some of us need a lot of people around us at all times, some of us only need human contact in more limited, controlled doses. Some of us need face-to-face personal contact with people, some of us are happy interacting through telephone, or email, or LJ.
But very few of us need no human contact.
Whatever work we do is within the context of a society. And we need to be recognized, and appreciated, and praised for the work we do. There are some people who are okay with knowing that they’ve done good work without external validation. But most of us need to hear it from other people.
So, in general, if you’re finding yourself unhappy, and not sure why, that might be something to consider: which area is weak: “being well”, “doing good work”, or “keeping in touch”?
At the end of each show, Keillor says, "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®" Yes, it's trademarked. It's also psychologically and philosophically profound.
"Be well.” If you’re sick, in pain, in danger, in dire need, you can’t maintain happiness. The first thing we need for happiness is some level of basic health and safety.
“Do good work.” We need to be active in something that is meaningful. If we’re fortunate, the thing that we do to make money may also be a thing that we find meaningful in a larger sense. If not, then we can use the money that we make to support us, and do our meaningful work outside of those hours.
That work could be raising a family, being a good neighbor, working for social justice, working for government, medicine, creating art -- music, books, jewelry, to name three of the forms of art represented on my friends list, building communities, running science fiction conventions or LARPs, inventing and engineering, working for environmental causes -- anything that you feel is meaningful, because it makes the world a better place, creates enjoyment for people, or is just plain worthwhile in and of itself.
“And keep in touch.” We are social animals. Some of us more so than others -- some of us need a lot of people around us at all times, some of us only need human contact in more limited, controlled doses. Some of us need face-to-face personal contact with people, some of us are happy interacting through telephone, or email, or LJ.
But very few of us need no human contact.
Whatever work we do is within the context of a society. And we need to be recognized, and appreciated, and praised for the work we do. There are some people who are okay with knowing that they’ve done good work without external validation. But most of us need to hear it from other people.
So, in general, if you’re finding yourself unhappy, and not sure why, that might be something to consider: which area is weak: “being well”, “doing good work”, or “keeping in touch”?
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-09 12:54 pm (UTC)The "be well" part of the quote is the only one that isn't pro-ative. Instead of being about something you do, it's about something that is "done" to you - for example, if you are in pain it's because someone or something (like a disease) is hurting you; you didn't chose to be in pain (well, except in rare kink cases, and that not really what we are talking about). Even if being in pain is the result of a bad decision (say you got a cold because you stayed outside in the rain) that's still an indirect cause.
I think "be well" affects happiness thusly - one is happy if one has done everything one can to "be well" and finds the results acceptable. Of course, if given the opportunity to do more, you will, but what you've accomplished is enough that it doesn't stand in the way of your happiness.
What is and isn't an acceptable level of pain (or safety or need) is different for different people. I, for example, am not happy because I'm not safe; the problem is chronic, and, at the moment, there is nothing I can do about it.
When I talk about this, and ask people for advice they think I should lower my standards - that I should learn to accept and live with the lack of safety in my life. And I admit my standards are not the same as everyone else's; but I think it is the world that should change and not me.
Once upon a time people didn't recognize that rape was traumatic for the victim; now everyone has learned to respect a women's right to say no. My rights weren't violated in a sexual context, so it wasn't rape; but even though it wasn't rape (and therefore isn't currently recognized as wrong by our culture) just like the people who were raped before it was recognized as traumatic, I deserve a world where what happened to me is recognized as wrong, rather than one in which I have to accept the violation of my rights.
What I'm trying to say is that, if you've acheived enough sucess managing your chronic pain and illness that the result doesn't stand in the way fof your happiness, that's great; good for you. However, if someone else hasn't, they shouldn't be "blamed" for making themselves unhappy by failing to accept what they can't (yet) change.
It's just an idea - I hope it makes sense, and that you find it interesting or useful.
Kiralee