In the November issue of Shambhala Sun magazine, Huston Smith recounts one of his last conversations with longtime friend Aldous Huxley. Huxley said:
“It’s a little embarrassing to have spent one’s entire life pondering the human situation and find oneself in the end with nothing more profound to say than try to be a little nicer.”
This is one thing I love about philosophy and the great wisdom traditions–what’s there is just so flippin’ obvious, but we somehow need to be reminded, early and often.
Tangentially, recall that last week I offered up a little show tune for your listening pleasure. There’s just one more thing I wanted to say about that number… I love that it’s get happy. Not “find something that makes you happy” or “hope one day you’ll discover happiness”. Get happy. It’s an active choice, a state you set your mind to achieve, not one that descends upon you if you’re lucky enough. I hate that Nike staked a claim on this one, but it’s so darn true I can’t help but repeat it: Just do it.
What Judy’s singing and Huxley’s saying is basically the same thing: We make the choices. We set the tenor of our own lives.
So what’ll it be?
