Imagination and Happiness
Spiritually our natural inclination is to be happy. By imagining happy things we set ourselves up for happy things to happen to us.
Of course, life has its bittersweet moments too. Yet if we don't let these moments overwhelm us too strongly or for too long, we are likely to return to a happy state again just by imagining happy things.
We need not limit our imagination. Nor do we need to limit our happiness. Start to imagine more happiness and we are likely to find ourselves happier.
How do we achieve happiness? Indirectly. So often, we are made happy by doing for others.
Giving is a highly imaginative activity. First we dream just the right gift. Then we give it.
Or perhaps it is new and unusually welcome circumstances that will cause us to imagine better than we've ever imagined before. At these times, we achieve new levels of happiness.
A wedding can be just such an occasion. Witnessing the happiness of the bride and groom causes those present to imagine a whole new world of happiness for themselves too.
Children do not cry at weddings. Adults do. Why? Because children do not yet know of broken dreams.
Adults cry because of the contrast between the world that could be and the world that is. The contrast causes dramatic tension in their imagination. When the tension finally breaks, the tears come.
Imagine well and you break new ground. Imagine yourself doing one new thing each day and letting one old thing go.
©Edward Abbott 2002-2004