"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose?"--Helen Keller
These words are especially powerful considering that they come from a woman who became deaf, blind, and mute before she was two years old. It is hard for many of us to imagine how such a person could find happiness in life. But she did. Helen Keller became an extremely successful author and lecturer who inspired millions. And she changed the way the world viewed handicapped people. She certainly knew a lot about worthy purposes, and she found a way to attain true happiness.
Many people seem to think the route to happiness is through self-gratification, and it is possible that some people are able to achieve happiness in this way. But, for many of us, happiness continues to be elusive no matter how much self-gratification we acquire. We may think that it is because we still don't have everything we want. We may believe that if only we were granted one or two more major wishes we would be happy. But, no matter how much self-gratification we achieve, some of us will never find happiness through that alone.
Many of us keep asking ourselves why we were born, and wonder what our mission in life might be. Helen Keller found her mission in life, and she left the world a much better place than she found it. She opened windows of opportunity for the handicapped of her time and for all those who would come after her. Helen Keller's life changed the world in a major way.
Most of us do not have such grandiose missions as that of Helen Keller, or the many other people who have made great contributions to mankind. But I believe we all have a mission in life. It may be to do a good job raising a family. It may be to bring cheer to those around us. It may be to be a good worker at whatever job we have. But, no matter how great or small our mission might seem to us, it is still an important mission. We all need to feel that we are making some positive contribution to society, and we are all capable of doing so.
Finding our purpose in life, and remaining faithful to that purpose, may be absolutely essential to experiencing true happiness for many of us. This is not to say that self-gratification is unimportant. We all need self-gratification, and none of us should feel guilty for seeking it. But, is self-gratification enough to bring true happiness to any of us? Can any of us be truly happy without attempting to fulfill our mission in life, whatever we think that mission is?
TB-40—Posted 05-21-2014
