The Pursuit of Happiness
Arthur Brooks gives a masterclass on the science of happiness and how to apply it to your life. Plus, the delicate dichotomy of parenting and why it means we all mess up.
Hello Bar-setters!
And happy Fourth of July!
I had a new term start this week for my master’s program and I’m still working on another post so, today, I want to highlight an amazing podcast.
Chris Williamson recently had the amazing Arthur Brooks on his Modern Wisdom podcast. It is a masterclass on being human and being happy in the modern world—the type of episode you might want to save and perfect for anyone traveling or getting a bit more time for yard work.
It is episode #802 of Modern Wisdom, which you can find on any podcast app. Or, you can play it from here:
Expect to learn the climate factors that create happy societies, the most troublesome storms in modern society, and so much more that you can apply to your own life.
The Dichotomy of Parenting
One point I’ll make that was spurred by this podcast…
At one point, Brooks and Williamson begin talking about workaholics and those that make an idol out of success. They discuss the parenting anthropologies that tend to produce this sort of workaholism. It is all very interesting, but I couldn’t help noting that Brooks and Williamson are both unbelievably successful and, as a result, they have the discipline, intellectual training, and propensity towards self-improvement that makes them capable of applying the lessons of the science of happiness. I don’t say that to diminish their points about not making success the end-all-be-all for your kids, but just as a caveat. In my experience, too much emphasis on effort and achievement isn’t a problem for most parents.
The much bigger threat of our time that I see in kids and that comes from modern parenting norms is kids who have a lack of drive, curiosity, and work ethic. Discipline, work ethic, and a belief in one’s ability to improve things are, perhaps, the most powerful tools in the world. Next to love, integrity, and curiosity, they are the best things a parent can help a young person develop. And they are increasingly scarce in our convenient, comfortable, incessantly entertained world.
No disagreement there, just a caveat. The balanced path, where you emphasize effort and doing your best while also finding time for friendship, family, and play is obviously best. But that balance is very hard to strike, which is why we should all make peace with the fact that we won’t get it perfect. Some kids need more tough love, some need less. Some moments require more, some require less. We just do our best!
Thank you for reading and sharing!
If interested, I’ve written a bit more about the power of discipline here:
Carry the fire!
Shane