© 2019 Olga López
© 2019 Urantia Association of Spain
Presentation made in the AUE Zoom room on May 10, 2019
We live in times when happiness seems to be the ultimate goal of our lives, although its pursuit has been a constant throughout human history. Who doesn’t remember, for example, the Epicureans, dedicated exclusively to the pursuit of this elusive and ephemeral value? Not to mention the Jews of Jesus’ time, who envisioned the establishment of a new kingdom of God, in which its citizens “would become immortal, enjoying this endless happiness” UB 135:5.4
There are thousands of books dedicated to the pursuit of happiness, selling us recipes for happiness and guaranteeing results if we follow the steps they suggest. Advertisements also “sell” happiness in the form of products. Remember that Coca-Cola ad whose slogan was “Uncap Happiness”? They even dared to identify happiness with a cola!
Precisely in these times when happiness is held in such high regard, they also seem to be the most unhappy. The use of anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs is skyrocketing throughout the Western world, and people project an image of happiness on social media that doesn’t correspond to their real lives. And the worst part is that everyone who sees it feels almost permanently dissatisfied because they think others are happy, but they aren’t. And how do they react to that? By following the charade of happiness on social media. On the other hand, the dominant mentality hammers us with the idea that if we aren’t happy, it’s our fault, because we don’t do enough, and that doesn’t help us live life joyfully either.
But is happiness truly our goal in life? Is there only one way to achieve it? Can happiness be found in material things?
As with so many other matters, I like to delve into the wisdom that The Urantia Book contains within its pages, and I began to look for the references to happiness in them so I could read them all together and form a mental composition on this particular topic.
One of the things that caught my attention was that, of the 64 references I found in the book, about 14 referred to a happiness experienced beyond this planet. Here are some examples:
This entire sojourn on the constellation training worlds, culminating in Edentia citizenship, is a period of true and heavenly bliss for the morontia progressors… UB 43:9.2
The mortal-survival plan has a practical and serviceable objective; you are not the recipients of all this divine labor and painstaking training only that you may survive just to enjoy endless bliss and eternal ease… UB 48:8.3
… [The Adjusters] are dedicated to the stupendous task of guiding you safely inward and upward to the celestial haven of happiness… UB 110:1.2
… The religion of Jesus does not seek to escape this life in order to enjoy the waiting bliss of another existence… UB 194:3.3
It’s clear to me that happiness, even if it can be experienced here on Earth, is not a realm of this world. Furthermore, it has no value in itself, but is a result, a consequence of a certain way of thinking, feeling, living, and acting.
If happiness had a value in and of itself, we’d hear much more about it in the book, yet more emphasis is placed on other things that produce happiness. Let’s look at some examples (emphasis mine):
…Happiness ensues from the recognition of truth because it can be acted out; it can be lived… UB 2:7.6
… Health, sanity, and happiness are integrations of truth, beauty, and goodness as they are blended in human experience. Such levels of efficient living come about through the unification of energy systems, idea systems, and spirit systems. UB 2:7.11
Integrating truth, beauty, and goodness (the famous triad from the book) into our experiences produces happiness, among other things. We feel happy when we live in truth, beauty, and goodness. Happiness is a consequence, therefore; the pursuit of happiness for happiness’s sake is empty. That kind of happiness is ephemeral; it comes just as it goes.
When we say we feel happy, it’s because there’s a reason. No one is happy just because, without a reason, just as no one is unhappy just because. And God isn’t especially interested in making us happy or unhappy, but He does want us to be as perfect as He is. This paragraph tells us very clearly:
Thus it is that your detached, sectional, finite, gross, and highly materialistic viewpoint and the limitations inherent in the nature of your being constitute such a handicap that you are unable to see, comprehend, or know the wisdom and kindness of many of the divine acts which to you seem fraught with such crushing cruelty, and which seem to be characterized by such utter indifference to the comfort and welfare, to the planetary happiness and personal prosperity, of your fellow creatures. It is because of the limits of human vision, it is because of your circumscribed understanding and finite comprehension, that you misunderstand the motives, and pervert the purposes, of God. But many things occur on the evolutionary worlds which are not the personal doings of the Universal Father. UB 3:2.10
Even the famous inevitabilities allude to happiness. Is it desirable to feel pleasure and be happy? Then we must live in a world where it is possible to feel pain and be unhappy. Don’t we value happy and pleasurable moments more when we compare them with the moments when we have felt bad, either physically or emotionally? Don’t we yearn more for the happy and pleasurable moments we had when we were unhappy?
- Is pleasure—the satisfaction of happiness—desirable? Then must man live in a world where the alternative of pain and the likelihood of suffering are ever-present experiential possibilities. UB 3:5.14
It’s important to note that it’s not necessary to feel pain or be unhappy to know what happiness is. What must exist is the POSSIBILITY of pain and unhappiness. We mortals of time and space learn the value of something by contrasting it with the possibility of its opposite.
Humankind has never generally enjoyed happiness, no matter what the widespread belief in an initial golden age would have us believe.
The Christian teachers perpetuated the belief in the fiat creation of the human race, and all this led directly to the formation of the hypothesis of a onetime golden age of utopian bliss and the theory of the fall of man or superman which accounted for the nonutopian condition of society… UB 74:8.13
It’s not that humanity had a time of bliss and happiness: it wasn’t like that even in the days of Eden, and even less so in Dalamatia in the times before Lucifer’s rebellion. The beginnings of humanity were fraught with difficulties.
In another of the book’s best-known passages, that of statements of human philosophy that have their counterpart in the morontial mote, a revealing statement is made regarding happiness.
- Effort does not always produce joy, but there is no happiness without intelligent effort. UB 48:7.10
This statement hints at something we already know: happiness doesn’t just happen, but rather requires effort to achieve it. And this effort must also be intelligent: that is, made wisely and with a goal in mind.
In document 55, which tells us about what the societies of a planet are like in light and life, the search for happiness is closely related to personal fulfillment and self-cultivation:
The provisions for competitive play, humor, and other phases of personal and group achievement are ample and appropriate. A special feature of the competitive activities on such a highly cultured world concerns the efforts of individuals and groups to excel in the sciences and philosophies of cosmology. Literature and oratory flourish, and language is so improved as to be symbolic of concepts as well as to be expressive of ideas. Life is refreshingly simple; man has at last co-ordinated a high state of mechanical development with an inspiring intellectual attainment and has overshadowed both with an exquisite spiritual achievement. The pursuit of happiness is an experience of joy and satisfaction. UB 55:5.6
But this applies not only to humanities in light and life, but also to our humanity in its present state of civilization: we should direct the search for happiness not to the possession of material goods or to giving free rein to our appetites, but to personal fulfillment and the cultivation of our inner life.
In document 70 they implicitly give us a curious mathematical formula for happiness:
… It is the business and duty of society to provide the child of nature with a fair and peaceful opportunity to pursue self-maintenance, participate in self-perpetuation, while at the same time enjoying some measure of self-gratification, the sum of all three constituting human happiness. UB 70:9.17
It’s striking that the Revelators refer to the happiness produced by the social institution of marriage. Happiness is precisely one of the beneficial products generated by marriage, although the Revelators don’t single it out above other beneficial aspects. Here are some quotes to illustrate this point:
Pair marriage favors and fosters that intimate understanding and effective co-operation which is best for parental happiness, child welfare, and social efficiency. Marriage, which began in crude coercion, is gradually evolving into a magnificent institution of self-culture, self-control, self-expression, and self-perpetuation. UB 83:6.8
Marriage always has been and still is man’s supreme dream of temporal ideality. Though this beautiful dream is seldom realized in its entirety, it endures as a glorious ideal, ever luring progressing mankind on to greater strivings for human happiness… UB 83:8.6
…This pairing of the sexes enhanced survival and was the very beginning of human society. The sex division of labor also made for comfort and increased happiness. UB 84:1.9
Among the things that generate lasting happiness, what we might call “true” happiness, is what the revelators call “the sincere prayer of faith.” But once again, it is not the only beneficial thing it generates, nor the most important:
No matter how difficult it may be to reconcile the scientific doubtings regarding the efficacy of prayer with the ever-present urge to seek help and guidance from divine sources, never forget that the sincere prayer of faith is a mighty force for the promotion of personal happiness, individual self-control, social harmony, moral progress, and spiritual attainment. UB 91:6.3
Another thing that strikes me when I read the references to happiness in the book is that this term appears quite frequently when talking about Gautama and Buddhism, the religion founded on his life and teachings. But once again, it’s about happiness as a consequence of something deeper: faith, enlightenment, the pursuit of noble goals, self-realization:
Gautama… began sending his students out in groups of sixty to proclaim to the people of India “the glad tidings of free salvation; that all men, high and low, can attain bliss by faith in righteousness and justice.” UB 94:7.5
…nirvana was not viewed as a state of complete annihilation. It implied a condition of supreme enlightenment and supernal bliss wherein all fetters binding man to the material world had been broken… UB 94:8.16
Unfortunately, his doctrine was distorted by his successors, who focused too much on the fact that all human effort is unpleasant and painful.
…His followers overlooked the fact that the highest happiness is linked with the intelligent and enthusiastic pursuit of worthy goals, and that such achievements constitute true progress in cosmic self-realization. UB 94:8.17
Despite the distortions that Gautama’s teachings suffered, Buddhism has preserved a good part of the values transmitted by its founder:
Buddhism is a living, growing religion today because it succeeds in conserving many of the highest moral values of its adherents. It promotes calmness and self-control, augments serenity and happiness, and does much to prevent sorrow and mourning. Those who believe this philosophy live better lives than many who do not. UB 94:9.6
It’s been a few decades since Buddhist teachings began to permeate the West, and many disillusioned with Christianity and its teachings on guilt have embraced these other beliefs that at least hold us solely responsible for our actions, without burdening us with the guilt inherited from a nebulous original sin. This is much more liberating and happiness-producing than it might seem at first glance. Of course, ultimate happiness is only achieved in Paradise, as the final reward for faith. Let’s look at this paragraph, which discusses one of the variants of Buddhism, the belief in Amida Buddha:
… [These] believers… proclaim that this new salvation is achieved through faith in the divine mercies and loving care of Amida, the Paradise God of the West…; in their religion, they cling to faith in the all-merciful Amida, who so loves the world that he will not suffer one mortal who calls on his name in true faith and with a pure heart to fail in the attainment of the supernal happiness of Paradise. UB 94:12.3
In the fourth part, in the document that describes how Jesus and Ganid dedicated themselves to collecting extracts from religious and philosophical texts from other cultures and religions, happiness is also mentioned in extracting the truths of Buddhism:
“Unrighteousness is contemptible; sin is despicable. Evil is degrading, whether held in thought or wrought out in deeds. Pain and sorrow follow in the path of evil as the dust follows the wind. Happiness and peace of mind follow pure thinking and virtuous living as the shadow follows the substance of material things… UB 131:3.3
“No religionist may hope to attain the enlightenment of immortal wisdom who persists in being slothful, indolent, feeble, idle, shameless, and selfish. But whoso is thoughtful, prudent, reflective, fervent, and earnest—even while he yet lives on earth—may attain the supreme enlightenment of the peace and liberty of divine wisdom. Remember, every act shall receive its reward. Evil results in sorrow and sin ends in pain. Joy and happiness are the outcome of a good life… Injustice done to your fellows shall come back upon you. The creature cannot escape the destiny of his deeds. UB 131:3.5
… The tamed mind yields happiness. He is the greatest of warriors who overcomes and subdues himself. Restraint in all things is good. He alone is a superior person who esteems virtue and is observant of his duty… UB 131:3.6
…Those who torture the living will hardly find happiness after death. The unselfish go to heaven, where they rejoice in the bliss of infinite liberality and continue to increase in noble generosity… UB 131:3.7
If we live a virtuous life and our thoughts are pure, happiness will be one of the inevitable consequences of this way of living. But we don’t achieve it simply by waiting for everything to be handed to us: the path to true happiness, spiritual achievements, those that lead to the most gratifying and meaningful rewards and personal progress, requires a certain proactive attitude on our part.
In this paragraph from document 100 we are given some very enlightening ideas about happiness:
But the great problem of religious living consists in the task of unifying the soul powers of the personality by the dominance of love. Health, mental efficiency, and happiness arise from the unification of physical systems, mind systems, and spirit systems. Of health and sanity man understands much, but of happiness he has truly realized very little. The highest happiness is indissolubly linked with spiritual progress. Spiritual growth yields lasting joy, peace which passes all understanding. UB 100:4.3
On the one hand, we are told that happiness is the result of uniting the physical, mental, and spiritual systems. That is, we are happy when mind, body, and spirit are in harmony and pursue the same goal of spiritual progress. On the other hand, they comment that we don’t understand many things about happiness because too little focus has been placed on spiritual progress, which is what leads us to deeper and more lasting happiness.
In the following document, they elaborate on this point and tell us that “religion provides happiness.” Let’s look at this phrase in the context of the paragraph:
Reason is the proof of science, faith the proof of religion, logic the proof of philosophy, but revelation is validated only by human experience. Science yields knowledge; religion yields happiness; philosophy yields unity; revelation confirms the experiential harmony of this triune approach to universal reality. UB 101:2.8
Happiness is also a result of altruistic impulses, as can be deduced from these two paragraphs of document 103:
… The Thought Adjuster does not disregard the personality values of the egoistic motive but does operate to place a slight preference upon the altruistic impulse as leading to the goal of human happiness and to the joys of the kingdom of heaven. UB 103:2.7
Human happiness is achieved only when the ego desire of the self and the altruistic urge of the higher self (divine spirit) are co-ordinated and reconciled by the unified will of the integrating and supervising personality… UB 103:5.5
On the other hand, happiness is the result of having a rich inner life, which also clashes with the widespread idea that happiness lies outside of us and that we must seek it there when we feel unhappy. Although it is also true that we must cultivate our inner life in the company of our fellow human beings. This quote from Document 111 is very illustrative in this regard:
Happiness and joy take origin in the inner life. You cannot experience real joy all by yourself. A solitary life is fatal to happiness. Even families and nations will enjoy life more if they share it with others. UB 111:4.7
The Master, when he addresses the young man who was afraid on his journey to Rome, makes this enlightening observation, which links in some way with the previous paragraph by relating happiness with service and brotherhood:
“… Sit down with me while I tell you of the service trails and happiness highways which lead from the sorrows of self to the joys of loving activities in the brotherhood of men and in the service of the God of heaven.” UB 130:6.2
After assisting Ganid in compiling religious and philosophical writings, they both write about what they called “our religion,” of which they say: “This new religion of ours is full of joy and brings lasting happiness” UB 131:10.6.
But happiness should not be merely a consequence of spiritual endeavor, but the goal of human associations. Both religion and society should ultimately bring happiness to human beings:
…Between the level of the individual human being and the level of the total of mankind, all groupings and associations are relative, transitory, and of value only in so far as they enhance the welfare, well-being, and progress of the individual and the planetary grand total—man and mankind. UB 134:5.2
Religion makes it spiritually possible to realize the brotherhood of men, but it will require mankind government to regulate the social, economic, and political problems associated with such a goal of human happiness and efficiency. UB 134:6.2
In these times of instant gratification, when many want it all, and they want it now without any effort on their part, when many have neither the time nor the desire to pursue higher goals, it is worthwhile to pause and consider these teachings derived from the life of Jesus of Nazareth:
…selfish satisfaction and sensuous gratification, alone and of themselves, are not able to confer happiness upon evolving human beings. There are higher values in mortal existence—intellectual mastery and spiritual achievement—which far transcend the necessary gratification of man’s purely physical appetites and urges. Man’s natural endowment of talent and ability should be chiefly devoted to the development and ennoblement of his higher powers of mind and spirit. UB 136:6.10
If we are able to defer gratification, the reward can be much better in the long run.
Education should be a technique of learning (discovering) the better methods of gratifying our natural and inherited urges, and happiness is the resulting total of these enhanced techniques of emotional satisfactions. Happiness is little dependent on environment, though pleasing surroundings may greatly contribute thereto. UB 140:4.10
This last paragraph says something worth highlighting, although many of us have already sensed it: “Happiness depends little on environment.” It doesn’t depend on whether you were born rich or poor (you can be poor and happy, and also rich and unhappy). That typical, clichéd phrase “money doesn’t buy happiness” is still true, even if there are many qualifications and sophistic arguments regarding it. For example, when someone says, “Money doesn’t buy happiness, but I’d rather cry aboard my yacht.” Really? I believe no one prefers to feel miserable, whether they’re aboard a luxury yacht or at the entrance to a shack. It’s true that financial security helps, but it’s neither necessary nor sufficient for happiness. No, happiness is a product of other things that have nothing to do with material wealth.
In document 140, which deals with the ordination of the twelve apostles and the famous “Sermon on the Mount,” other interesting notes are made about happiness:
The faith and the love of these beatitudes strengthen moral character and create happiness. Fear and anger weaken character and destroy happiness. This momentous sermon started out upon the note of happiness. UB 140:5.6
- “Happy are the poor in spirit—the humble.” To a child, happiness is the satisfaction of immediate pleasure craving. The adult is willing to sow seeds of self-denial in order to reap subsequent harvests of augmented happiness. In Jesus’ times and since, happiness has all too often been associated with the idea of the possession of wealth. In the story of the Pharisee and the publican praying in the temple, the one felt rich in spirit—egotistical; the other felt “poor in spirit”—humble. One was self-sufficient; the other was teachable and truth-seeking. The poor in spirit seek for goals of spiritual wealth—for God. And such seekers after truth do not have to wait for rewards in a distant future; they are rewarded now. They find the kingdom of heaven within their own hearts, and they experience such happiness now. UB 140:5.7
Don’t we recall the behavior of children, who find it so difficult to act with a view to later gratification? In this, many of our fellow human beings, unfortunately, behave like children. But those who pursue spiritual treasures and do not heed the siren calls of those who offer us quick fixes for happiness in material goods will enjoy a much deeper and more lasting happiness, and they will enjoy it now. Even when they postpone gratification, they will be at peace, because they will know that the reward will come sooner or later and may even be greater than expected.
What’s more, sorrow in the face of suffering, if it leads us to react to it and remedy it, leads to a deeper and more lasting happiness:
- “Happy are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” So-called common sense or the best of logic would never suggest that happiness could be derived from mourning. But Jesus did not refer to outward or ostentatious mourning. He alluded to an emotional attitude of tenderheartedness. … Being sensitive and responsive to human need creates genuine and lasting happiness, while such kindly attitudes safeguard the soul from the destructive influences of anger, hate, and suspicion. UB 140:5.16
This is another way of stating the aforementioned phrase that money does not bring happiness:
Jesus frequently warned his listeners against covetousness, declaring that “a man’s happiness consists not in the abundance of his material possessions.” He constantly reiterated, “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” He made no direct attack on the possession of property, but he did insist that it is eternally essential that spiritual values come first… UB 140:8.17
There is no happiness possible if we lose our soul to the purely material desires of money and power. No, our priorities must be different: pursuing spiritual values, imperishable treasures that are far more valuable and that do bring us true happiness, eternal happiness.
This is what Jesus says in his message to the disciples and believers in the gospel, which could perfectly well be addressed to all of us:
… Those who accept this teaching are filled with joy and in their hearts are constrained to rejoice evermore. Increasing happiness is always the experience of all who are certain about God. UB 159:3.10
When my children once become self-conscious of the assurance of the divine presence, such a faith will expand the mind, ennoble the soul, reinforce the personality, augment the happiness, deepen the spirit perception, and enhance the power to love and be loved. UB 159:3.12
… Take heed and keep yourselves free from covetousness; a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he may possess. Happiness comes not from the power of wealth, and joy springs not from riches. Wealth, in itself, is not a curse, but the love of riches many times leads to such devotion to the things of this world that the soul becomes blinded to the beautiful attractions of the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God on earth and to the joys of eternal life in heaven.
UB 165:4.1
Therefore, in conclusion, in light of these wonderful teachings, if there were a recipe for happiness, it would be to live a meaningful life motivated by a sincere desire to do the Father’s will and become part of the great family of the Kingdom of Heaven.
That, and no other happiness, is what really matters.
Thank you very much for your attention.