But guess what? We aren’t any happier or less stressed, in fact we’re probably more stressed, fretting over why we aren’t any happier. So we go out and buy even more ‘stuff’ that we never knew we needed, which requires us to work longer hours to be able to afford to make ourselves happy. And so the endless circle of avarice, need, want and insecurity continues. All that has happened is that the executives in their expensive suits have gotten richer and richer as we buy-in to their snake-oil solution. ‘Roll up, roll up for this once-in-a-lifetime cure for all ills and a sure quick-fire path to extreme happiness.’
It all reminds me of the story of the management consultant who visits a small Greek fishing village, where he sees a fisherman sitting outside a café, sipping a glass of wine and enjoying his grandchildren playing around him. He approaches the fisherman and asks him why he isn’t out fishing on such a beautiful day with the clear sky and the calm sea. The fisherman explains that he has caught and sold enough fish to see him through to his next trip out. This relaxed attitude to life is something of a shock to the consultant who suggests that if he were to fish longer he could make more money and would eventually be able to buy a bigger boat, thereby enabling himself to catch more fish and make even more money. Warming to his theme, he then explains that with the additional revenue the fisherman could possibly buy a second boat, catch more fish and make even more money. The fisherman agrees that if he worked harder and longer he could indeed earn enough to buy another boat, catch even more fish and make even more money. In fact, he could see himself skippering a small fleet of fishing boats. He then enquires what the benefit would be of all this hard work and the headaches and pressure that come with the increased workload and responsibility. The consultant is in his element and explains that eventually, after a few years of hard work, the fisherman would earn enough to be able to spend his days, sipping wine outside his favourite café and enjoying the sight of his grandchildren playing around him.
Maybe there’s something to be said for the simpler life after all and that maybe we sometimes need to take a step back to realise and appreciate what we have already. I once read what I thought was a great quote; a possible antidote to all this rampant consumerism and modern-day worship of fake celebrity: ‘Concentrate on things worth being rather than things worth having’.
Nowadays, there is a whole industry surrounding the pursuit of the elusive happiness, from the snake-oil peddlers to the gaming and leisure industry (no pain, no gain), psychologists and life coaches, even economists and political scientists, all either asking us or telling us the answer to what makes our lives worth living. However, recent research suggests that well-being consists of five factors: good relationships; physical activity, particularly outdoors; appreciation of the surrounding world; continued learning and altruism, doing something for someone else without seeking personal recompense. To this worthy list I would add a sixth: knowing that you are making a difference.
Maybe this is why volunteers always seem hard-working, enthusiastic and happy with life, while others cannot even begin to comprehend why someone would work for nothing. It’s not about the material reward; it’s about knowing that you are making a difference.
At the same time there is increasing evidence that a simple walk in the countryside can do wonders for lowering the stress-levels associated with our modern lives. Even the Romans recognised that going for a walk can clear the head of all the clutter, enabling us to think with more clarity. Unfortunately, we have lost the ability to do this, as we run faster and faster around the wheel.
So here’s a radical idea: the next time you are feeling stressed, leave the credit card at home and go for a walk in your local countryside or nature reserve or green space. Take time to look at the trees and plants and wildlife, to hear the birdsong or the babbling stream or the rustling leaves, to feel the breeze on your face, to smell the flowers or the new-mown grass or the pungent earthiness of the woodland floor. Experience the endless cycle of the seasons, from bud to leaf to flower to fruit to decay. Reconnect with the natural world, instead of being separate from it. Remember what it was like to run and play as a child in the woods, where your imagination had no bounds and every insect, bug and unfurling flower was to be marvelled at, where to stand beneath a tree was to be overwhelmed by its enormity, where every stick took on a life of its own and where you could see the things that the adults had long since become blind to.
And while you open your senses, consider that maybe the true path to happiness does not come in a bottle of ‘snake-oil’ or via a credit card or from a self-help book or from political diktat or from anything you own or wish to own. Maybe the path you seek is the one already beneath your feet.
Or maybe you would like to work as a countryside volunteer, working with like-mided people, learning new skills, experiencing the natural work and reconnecting with nature, getting free exercise and giving something back and in return realising that you are making a difference. And how many people can say all that of their working day?