“The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced, that person usually gets no credit.”
― Gretchen Rubin
I want to write about happiness in activism because I don’t see anyone else doing it.
Am I trying to recruit people to dedicate their lives to public service?
Do I fundamentally believe that a life spent at the service of others is a better one?
Am I an organizer who is tired of having to go between books about policy/organizing and books about joy and am trying to consolidate all of that goodness into an eventual book that I wish already existed?
Well, yes.
But, am I embarrassed about that? A resounding, fuck yes.
I’m embarrassed to have the audacity to demand happiness out of the work I’ve dedicated my life to. I’m embarrassed about being obsessed with the pursuit of true happiness. I’m embarrassed that I’ve bought into the notion that happiness is naive, hedonistic, and selfish.
I got into the work I do because I wanted to make a change but if I’m being truly honest I mostly got into it because I think changing the world is just so gosh darn fun. Because it makes me feel good. Because it gives me a community, friends, and it makes me a more likable person. No one likes admitting that they want to be liked, but if you’re not motivated by loving others and being loved… what are we doing, actually?
People in the progressive movement inspire me not just to be a better person but a happier one. The old guard of politics is quickly being dismantled and the notion of a stoic statesman just doesn’t seem as appealing or “respectable” (whatever the fuck that means) anymore.
Who is going to make up the new guard? How do we build a happier movement in times of despair? How do we make joy a commodity not reserved for the privileged?
I don’t know. But these are the questions that keep me up at night.
I bought into the American notion that if I work hard enough and put my mind to it I could achieve anything. If that’s the case, why bother dedicating myself to anything other than what would bring the most unbridled joy to me and as many of my fellow humans as possible?