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Ideas for Teaching from the Book
Christ’s Ideals for Living

by O. C. Tanner

Happiness

f. The conditions for happiness in question “e” deny the idea that happiness is relative to every man. Explain.
g. “Happiness is a qualitative not quantitative matter.” Explain.
h. Explain: “The only way to real joy and permanent satisfaction is to fail in reaching something that is beyond us.”

140. QUOTATIONS FROM CHURCH LEADERS
i. Discuss quotation 6, by Harold B. Lee.

D. CONCLUSION: Read the Ten Rules for Happiness by President David O. McKay. (section 140, quotation 10)

136. Introduction

The writers on the subject of happiness have a common agreement, namely, that the greatest rule for finding it was given by the Savior, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it." That is, whosoever will find happiness and joy in living, shall lose his life in some noble cause -- honest labor that gets the world's work done, a better community, an improved profession, a good and just America, a peaceful world, the cause of Christ and the will of our Father in heaven for His kingdom here on earth. A worthy purpose must be at the center of every worthy life. Wrapped up in ourselves, the saying goes, we make a pretty small bundle -- little enough of real happiness as well. Selfishness, self-consciousness, touchiness, super-sensitiveness, petulance, vanity, peevishness, hurtful pride, laziness -- what a list could be made if we were to put in one heap the factors that make for unhappiness! We lose all these, we free ourselves from them, whenever we forget ourselves -- forget to look even for happiness, for happiness is never found by those who seek it directly.

"It is a by-product," said Aristotle, "of one absorbed with the use of his highest powers in some great cause." Paul expressed it, "This one thing I do." Another said, "No man lives until he lives for something great." And something great could be to live for another, or for others; for an idea, for a cause that is bigger, better, more worthy than the cause of our own self interests alone.

George Bernard Shaw expressed it: "This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." 1

One person thoughtfully observed that there were three reasons for believing in God: "…the light in some people's eyes, the sense of honor, and the joy which follows complete surrender to a cause that is greater than self."

President McKay explains the meaning of the priesthood as follows:

We are happiest as we contribute to the lives of others. I say that because the priesthood you hold means that you are to serve others. You represent God in the field to which you are assigned. "…Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:25) This paradoxical saying of the Savior contains the crowning element of the upright character-crowning, I say. Here we touch an important phase of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Selfishness is subdued, in which greed and avarice must be subordinated to the higher principles of helpfulness and of kindliness. 2

137. The Ideal of Happiness from Scripture

From the New Testament:
A. …Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. (Mark 8:34-35)
B. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10: 10)
C. …but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word…Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. (Galatians 5:13-14)

From Other Latter-day Saint Scriptures:
D. Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.

And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness. (Alma 41:10-11)
E. But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head. (Helaman 13:38)
F. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. (2 Nephi 2:25)

138. The Ideal of Happiness In Christ's Life

Christ's purpose in life was to do the will of the Father by establishing His kingdom on earth. He expressed it in many ways; one widely quoted passage is this: "…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10) Christ's life with God, His prayer, His thoughts, His service among "even the least of these," all explain why He had so much love and happiness to share with others. And such a life, however brief, would explain the depth of His own happiness. The Kingdom of God meant the rule of righteousness in personal and social relationships. For this He prayed and suffered and died. He has said to each one of us: "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

His gospel was the gospel of love -- the deepest and purest well-spring of joy and happiness this earth gives to man. Jesus said: "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.  "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." (John 15:9-12)

139. The Ideal of Happiness In Our Lives

It is probably true that in a technical sense, men do not seek happiness as such. What they seek is a happy life. Always we seek concrete things, actual situations, states of affairs. A happy life is one that is filled with happy experiences and activities, a life that is occupied with doing things that bring happiness.

While people vary so widely in fulfilling the desires they believe will give them happiness, we are not to conclude that happiness is relative to every man.  Rather, we can say that while each one is somewhat different, yet all men possess a common pattern; they share fundamental needs.

These common ends which all men have, enable us to avoid moral relativity, which would deny any standard for morality.

Some values that create happiness are common to all men. One of these is health. A man cannot be completely happy with excessive physical pain or extreme anxiety.

Another common need is a reasonable amount of worldly goods, at least for most men. That is, a man can hardly be happy if he is without food and shelter.

Perhaps next most important is the opportunity to exercise the powers of mind and body. These should not be excessive so that fatigue causes pain, or excessive so that other important activities are crowded out.

On this point the Latter-day Saint philosophy of life is unsurpassed by any religion in the world. Indeed it is without equal. Our entire plan of life here on earth is to balance properly the worthwhile activities of the whole personality. We are taught to avoid excesses-even in religion where extremes can so easily lead to the unreasonable, the unnatural, the intolerant, the abnormal practices found the world over in the name of religion.

This does not mean that personalities with special gifts should not make them shine. Indeed, to exercise our special gifts is a chief source of happiness. And if blocked from doing so, it becomes a chief source of unhappiness. But it does mean that a proper balance of satisfying activities is profoundly important for happiness.

Another need of all men, if they would be happy, is a reasonable portion of amusement and relaxation. Anxiety and overwork are real enemies of happiness. Also in our work it is important that every man and woman have a measure of independence from the will of any, and every other person.

Finally, as a common need of all men, Professor W. T. Stace makes this observation:

And if there is any condition which can rival the exercise of special gifts…as the chief source of man's happiness, I would say that it lies in the affection of friends and in the love for one another of the members of a family. For when all else turns in a man's mouth to dead sea fruit, when advancing years bring disillusionment and disgust with the will o' the wisps which men for the most part pursue, then these things -- the attachment of a few friends, the love of a child, a wife, a brother -- are seen as goods more abiding and more satisfying than all others. And when all other "pleasures" are seen as false and hollow shams, or at least as things of which the spirit wearies, these are seen to remain as solid and real and not to fail. Moreover, while only the few can have riches and power, friendship and affection, in more or less degree, are open to all save the most unfortunate. Friendship is the poor man's riches; and it is a happier lot to be rich in human affection though poor in gold than to be king of half the world but without a friend. 3

But more important in a study of happiness is to learn if there may not be a scale of values to guide us in our pursuit of it. Are there some desires or satisfactions or pleasures which contribute more to happiness than others? Some would say not. They would hold that all pleasures are of equal worth, and therefore, only quantity of pleasure will measure the total of happiness.

The Gospel teaches otherwise. Some satisfactions contribute more to happiness than others. It tells us over and over again that the quality of our satisfactions, not quantity or intensity, determines [p.282] our happiness. The Gospel tells us that while physical satisfactions of food, drink and proper sex relations are important in the economy of life, the mental or spiritual satisfactions are infinitely more so. Friendship, religion, art, intellectual endeavor, are not so intense as bodily pleasures, yet contribute so much more to enduring happiness -- this is the teaching of Christ. For example: "It is more blessed to give than to receive," "Blessed are the pure in heart." These teachings mean that giving and purity of heart are greater sources of happiness than receiving and impurity.

There is a scale of values the Gospel gives us as a sure path to happiness. "Friendship contributes more to happiness than riches…, and, as Professor Stace puts it, "if a man makes the mistake of sacrificing his friendships for the sake of his 'business' -- which means in the end for the sake of money, motor cars, large houses, luxurious eating, jewelry for his wife -- he loses his happiness because he gives up a source of great happiness in order to obtain more intense satisfactions which bring little joy.'' 4

Finally, there is real joy and satisfaction in the struggle to reach, in faith, for a goal that is beyond us. "It is to man's everlasting honor that he sets his ideal so high that he dooms himself to failure…distant ideals, which bid us not to tarry in the attained or in the attainable, but to seek and to strive for what lies beyond our reach and eludes our grasp.'' 5

140. The Ideal of Happiness In Quotations from Church Leaders

That man who is ambitious for personal gain and personal advantage is never a happy man, for before him always are the receding horizons of life that will ever mock his attempts at acquisition and conquest. That man who serves unselfishly is the man who is the happy man.

In the military service there were awarded ofttimes for outstanding accomplishment, national decorations and certificates of merit, and always with the citation were these suggestive words: "For meritorious service beyond the call of duty."

Therein lies the way by which we, too, can reach the highest goals and win the merited plaudits of our Heavenly Father. That which we do beyond the call of duty, beyond that for which we are compensated by material wealth is that which gives us the greatest joy in life.

As I look at the experiences of our brethren and hear their testimonies, I become persuaded of one great truth: Whenever the Lord has a great blessing for one of his children, he puts that son or daughter in the way to make a great sacrifice. 6  -Harold B. Lee

If you will study the lives of these great "light-fountains" of the world, you will learn of at least one thing that has made their names endure. It is this: Each one has given something of his life to make the world better. They did not spend all their time seeking only pleasure and ease, and a "good time" for themselves alone, but found their greatest joy in making others happy and more comfortable. All such good deeds live forever, even though the world may never hear of them. 7  -David O. McKay

It is a wonderful custom to wish one another happiness. Happiness is what we are all seeking, and it is what our Father in heaven desires for us.

Through the ages the Lord has inspired his prophets, and they have pointed the way of true happiness. The Book of Mormon tells us that there was one long period of time when the people were righteous; a period that continued some two hundred years after the appearance of the Savior on this western hemisphere. They repented of their sins, turned to the Lord, and were
prosperous and happy.

Our heavenly Father has told us that the only plan that will assure satisfactory results is the plan of eternal life, the gospel of Jesus Christ, as advocated by His Beloved Son, and only sorrow and disappointment will result from disobeying the Father of our spirits. 8  -George Albert Smith

Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know, unless we comply with or keep those we have already received. That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another. 9  -Joseph F. Smith

TEN RULES OF HAPPINESS
By President David O. McKay

1. Develop yourself by self-discipline.
2. Joy comes through creation -- sorrow through destruction. Every living thing can grow: Use the world wisely to realize soul growth.
3. Do things which are hard to do.
4. Entertain upbuilding thoughts. What you think about when you do not have to think shows what you really are.
5. Do your best this hour, and you will do better the next.
6. Be true to those who trust you.
7. Pray for wisdom, courage, and a kind heart.
8. Give heed to God's messages through inspiration. If self-indulgence, jealousy, avarice, or worry have deadened your response, pray to the Lord to wipe out these impediments.
9. True friends enrich life. If you would have friends, be one.
10. Faith is the foundation of all things -- including happiness. 10