A Theology of Gratitude: How to find Health & Happiness?

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G.K.Chesterton saying "I felt grateful, though I hardly knew to whom," that is a reference to his original state of atheism. He said he became Christian, not by reading the bible, but by reading atheists because in their writings he recognized God's silhouette. It reminds of the writer Julian Barnes who says, “I don’t believe in God, but I miss him.” Barnes speaks to the universal longing for a source goodness, love and beauty outside of self. Chesterton’s journey to Christianity started with his desire to find a mooring for his wandering gratitude.

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How to find Happiness?

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How do we find our happiness? According to Seligman it is Positive Emotions, Flow and transcendent meaning. He says positive emotions aren't lasting, Flow lasts more, transcendent meaning is the highest point. From a Christian standpoint as in Matt 6:33, getting the order right is key - seek our highest meaning (satisfaction) in the love of God, then engage (purposefully) in the work of God's kingdom building, then positive emotions will follow. But if we attempt to reverse the order, if we try to chase after positive emotions, then we will end up someone frantically adjust the grill in the air conditioning vents in the car to get cold air when the engine is not working.

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Joe Rogan - On the Question of Techno Utopianism

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The idea of using micro electrodes in the brain to program away faulty thinking reminds me of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World which uses drugs instead of electromagnetism to manage brains creating a crime-less society with unmitigated happiness. The problem of course is that a society which does not have a sense of freewill ends up into becoming a rather boring society. One of the characters, John Savage, finds such a world so meaningless that he tries to find meaning in suffering, lashing himself with a whip, and eventually taking his own life away. Why would a society filled with easy ways for chemically induced happiness be rather boring and meaningless?

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