The Gospel of Happiness--the word “Gospel” once meant “good news,”
but now has lost much of its gladdening vitality--is, when we examine
deeply and widely, “perspectively” and prospectively, sound Philosophy
and sound Religion. To the devout Hindu, God is not only “Wisdom, Love,
Might,” but also Bliss. Sat Chit Ananda meant Lasting Reality, True
Knowledge, and Blissful Happiness. A Perfect God--and this applies
whether we believe in a Personal Being or not, for an Impersonal Being
cannot easily be imagined as sad!--cannot surely be sad; and we are
told to become perfect as God is Perfect.
We are often recommended to fill the mind with healthy, invigorating,
purifying thoughts. This, again, is a New Testament Commandment. The
words in the ordinary rendering of Philippians, iv. 8, do not bring out
the vitality and force and verve of the Greek words, but they give the
general idea:--
“_Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, just, pure,
lovely, of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think of these things._”
It is a Commandment to attend to--to fill the mind by repetition
with--eternally true ideas, ideas that command respect, ideas that are
right, ideas that are clean and pure, ideas that are welcome and sweet;
ideas that have words of good omen, ideas of manliness and womanliness,
ideas of praise and appreciation.
Therefore, think of Happiness: keep happy.
In keeping happy, we obey the frequently reiterated Commandment to
“Rejoice,” and, without any special attention to the negative and
prohibitive Commandments not to worry, and not to be angry, and not
to be unkind, and not to criticise unkindly, and so forth, we, _ipso
facto_, obey these Commandments as well, just as the person who is
encouraged and inspired does not need to be comforted in so-called
“misfortune.”
Therefore, keep happy.
Happiness helps you. “It is profitable in every way to learn to be
glad.”
Happiness helps yourself and others, and hurts none.
“_No selfish heart can really be glad._”
Happiness is the right thing to keep. Happiness is our duty, and is
“good form.”
Happiness increases itself.
“_The more things you are glad for, the more things you will have to be
glad for. Gladness is a magnet. Because you were glad, even when there
was nothing to make you glad, you proved that you deserved everything
that has the power to make you glad. And that which we truly deserve
must come to remain as our own. Possess gladness, and you will soon
possess those things that produce gladness._”
But how?
How to Keep Happy
It is so easy to say to others, or to ourselves, Keep happy. But _how_
keep happy?
Here are a few out of many helps.
People will ask, “What about trying circumstances? How can we keep
happy under, or in them, whether they be past or present or future?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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