Tantalus

I have decided to compile a step-by-step guide to true happiness.

How to Get Happy Quickly:

Step 1. Keep yourself busy! It doesn’t matter whether it is work or pleasure, busyness prevents boredom. A bored mind is never a happy mind.

Step 2. You must achieve more! How others perceive you contributes to your overall happiness. Get a promotion and earn people’s respect, then happiness will respect you as well.

Step 3. Treat yourself as someone who deserves more than they have! Buy the things that the person you want to be would have … only then will you start to believe in yourself and become that person. Get the better car. Buy the bigger house. Don’t be afraid of going into debt. Debt means that you are investing in your future happiness.

Step 4. Finally, you must have fun! Seek pleasure. Go to the movies, watch sports, party with the boys. Think of how good you'll feel when you indulge yourself. Don’t get so hung up on work that you miss out on the pleasures of life.

And, voila! Now I am happy, right?

Wrong!

I have not attained happiness; I have become Tantalus.

Tantalus? Have I truly become this tragic figure of Greek mythology?

I remember translating the tale of Tantalus in Latin class.

He was a man who was banished by the Greek gods to the deepest abyss of the underworld: Tartarus. There, the hand which he has been dealt by fate forces him to stand in a lake.

The warm breeze casts ripples across the surface of the freshwater. The swells tickle his neck. A heavily-laden fruit tree grows on the shore nearby, with one of its branches stretching out over the water. Ripe, juicy fruit hangs from it, straining the branch. The weight leaves the fruit dangling mere inches above Tantalus’ head.

According to legend, Tantalus was not only banished by the gods but cursed by them as well: Every time he lowers his head to take a sip of water, the swells subside, never allowing the water to reach his lips; Every time he stretches to pick some fruit, the tree lifts its limbs, evading his grasp.

And so there Tantalus resides, thirsting and famished, with temptation always in his face. He lowers his head, and the waters subside. He raises his hand toward the fruit, and the tree moves out of his reach. The promise of satisfaction lies at his fingertips, yet it continues to elude him. So goes the tragedy of Tantalus.

Do not mistake this tale for one that is distant and carries no meaning for us today. The truth of this story is perhaps more evident now than ever before:

Tantalus reaching for the fruit is like a man striving for happiness – a fool reaching for that which will forever evade him.

I do not mean to give the impression that happiness is not of value. In fact, I can confidently say that I am an incredibly happy person, and I am thankful for that. With this Tantalus comparison, I simply want to make the point that happiness is not a goal for which one should strive. There are two main reasons for this:

First, happiness, when pursued intentionally, will evade all efforts to capture it – just like the fruit and water in the story of Tantalus.

Additionally, the true cost of pursuing happiness can be far greater than initially believed: It seems that once happiness is found to be unattainable, individuals often settle for momentary pleasure instead. And pleasure is, as Viktor Frankl put it, the distraction from purpose.

Could it be that in our pursuit of happiness, we are in danger of losing (or perhaps never finding) purpose?

In my experience, happiness is best achieved as a byproduct of a life dedicated to matters far beyond the self-serving nature of happiness.

I am convinced that a life which seeks purpose, pursues truth, values honesty, honors values, stands by convictions, and embodies virtue is more likely to experience happiness than a life primarily focused on attaining happiness itself. I also feel that a life focused on pleasure is likely to be farthest from finding true happiness, given the near-sighted nature of indulgence, which would likely inhibit the search for anything beyond immediate satisfaction.

So it makes sense that the discussion of happiness must extend beyond the borders of pleasure and indulgence. I believe this is common sense.

However, I also think that it is equally important that we do not confine ourselves to the idea that philosophical virtue is the ultimate path to certain happiness.

I say this because I have come across a writing that introduces the idea of happiness in an entirely different way than I have ever heard before:

An eyewitness of Jesus recorded the Messiah speaking about happiness. And Jesus’ approach to this topic challenges our understanding. He speaks of happiness in a way that forces us to reevaluate what it should mean to us.

We will dive into Jesus’ teachings, which were written two millennia ago, in part two of this contemplation. Stay tuned – I’ll be publishing it soon!

For now, keep this in mind:

The man who strives to be happy is like Tantalus. He reaches for that which will forever elude him.

And once he has sacrificed his time, his sanity, and all he is willing to trade for an attempt at happiness, he will find himself lost in a lake with happiness dangling just out of reach.