Is This the Way to Happiness?

IN PURSUIT of happiness many go to extremes. Consider, for example, the case of Caterina Fieschi. She came from a well-to-do family in Italy, was intelligent and very religious. Mental depression from an unhappy marriage caused this young lady to seek relief through the gaiety and comforts that her position in society made available.

That changed, however, when Caterina reached the age of 26. At that time the young woman experienced what has been termed “conversion.” Thereafter she “made great penances, so that all her senses were mortified. . . . So soon as she perceived that her nature desired anything, at once she deprived it thereof. . . . She wore [a garment of] harsh hair, ate no meat nor any other thing that she liked; ate no fruit, neither fresh nor dried . . . and she lived greatly submitted to all persons, and always sought to do all those things which were contrary to her own will.”

That account is from the biography of one who came to be known as “Saint Catherine of Genoa.” When asked the reason for engaging in self-torture, she replied: “I do not know, but I feel myself drawn inwardly to do this . . . and I think it is God’s will.” She believed that torturing herself was a means of purification for gaining God’s favor and true happiness.

A like viewpoint was held by the Spaniard known as “Saint John of the Cross.” He recommended, among other things, that people seek out ‘not what tastes best, but what is most distasteful; not what most pleases, but what disgusts; not what is highest and most precious, but what is lowest and most contemptible; not the best in everything, but the worst.’ He advised: “Despise yourself, and wish that others should despise you; speak to your own disadvantage, and desire others to do the same; conceive a low opinion of yourself, and find it good when others hold the same.” Similar views have supporters even today.

But is such extreme self-humiliation the way to find real, lasting happiness? Not according to the Bible. The apostle Paul writes:

“Did you not die with Christ and pass beyond reach of the elementary ideas belonging to this world? Then why behave as though you were still living the life of the world? Why let people dictate to you: ‘Do not handle this, do not taste that, do not touch the other’—all of them things that must perish as soon as they are used? That is to follow merely human injunctions and teaching. True, it has an air of wisdom, with its forced piety, its self-mortification, and its severity to the body; but it is of no use at all in combating sensuality.”—Col. 2:20-23, “The New English Bible,” margin.

Extreme “self-mortification” is a sham, with merely “an air of wisdom.” It is neither pleasing to God nor of any use in attaining happiness.

What about the opposite extreme of living mainly for pleasure? Is that perhaps the way to the genuine joy of living? Many believe so. Some of their exploits at pleasure-seeking are set forth in the next article.

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‘She wore a harsh hair garment, ate no meat nor any other thing that she liked’

But what if the pursuit of leisure and pleasure activities become excessive? What if pleasure becomes the principal pursuit in a person’s life? In such cases play does not pay hoped-for dividends of rest, refreshment and enjoyment. Rather, harm may result both to oneself and to others.

Harm to Oneself

Many spend leisure hours in the excessive drinking of alcohol. The Bible’s book of Proverbs contains a graphic description of the harm that comes from this:

“Show me someone who drinks too much, who has to try out fancy drinks, and I will show you someone miserable and sorry for himself, always causing trouble and always complaining. His eyes are bloodshot, and he has bruises that could have been avoided. Don’t let wine tempt you, even though it is rich red, and it sparkles in the cup, and it goes down smoothly. The next morning you will feel as if you had been bitten by a poisonous snake. Weird sights will appear before your eyes, and you will not be able to think or speak clearly. You will feel as if you were out on the ocean, seasick, swinging high up in the rigging of a tossing ship. ‘I must have been hit,’ you will say; ‘I must have been beaten up, but I don’t remember it. Why can’t I wake up? I need another drink.’”—Prov. 23:29-35, Today’s English Version.

However, the harmful effects of alcohol abuse are only one area of personal injuries that come from too much emphasis on pleasure. Jon Nordheimer reports in the New York Times: “Leisure time and the spreading affluence of the middle class have swelled the number of Americans seeking psychic renewal, exercise or just plain thrills by exposing themselves to some degree of danger under the guise of recreation.”

The same reporter explains that “statisticians for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company calculate that approximately 10,000 Americans die each year as a result of some avocational planned risk taken for fun or adventure. And the figure is growing.”

They “Crack Up on Their Vacations”

Leisure time may lead to psychological problems too. An item in Parade magazine (June 11, 1978) begins: “Why is it that many people crack up on their vacations? What is it about vacation-time that triggers psychological upsets? Dr. Heinz Brokop of the Innsbruck (Austria) Clinic blames the disorders on the loneliness of many vacationers, the problems of adjusting to a new environment, boredom, and the letdown following the period of vacation preparation. ‘We have more than 2-1/2 million vacationers from all parts of the world,’ he explains, ‘who visit Austria each year, ostensibly for rest and relaxation. Yet I am kept busy by so many of them who get anything but.’”

It is clear that simply having available free time does not result in happiness. Moreover, many of the ways that people use their leisure hours produce both physical and mental disorders. Sadly, adverse effects from leisure activities frequently are not limited to individuals hurting themselves.

Consequences to Others

What you do with leisure time affects others. As an example, consider the results of tourism in many places. Since tourists require hotels, swimming pools, campsites and roads to gain access to them, frequently the ecology and economy of a particular area suffer. Writer Guy Mountfort explains:

“Biologically valuable swampland is drained, streams are diverted, irregular contours neatly leveled, and natural vegetation destroyed or replaced by more decorative imported species. Soon the site looks precisely like any other man-made resort—modern, functionally efficient, artificially gay, with neither charm nor soul. Although some local employment is generated, transient specialist labor is usually imported and much of the profit goes either to foreign investors or to other regions of the country.”

Many vacationers think nothing of defacing natural scenery. According to Mountfort, in the Galápagos islands “hundreds of inscriptions, some of them in letters a foot high, have completely disfigured many rocks and cliffs.” Add to this the ill effects from careless pollution of air and water, driving under the influence of intoxicants, and other evidences of negligence by pleasure-seekers, and the result is truly lamentable.