The world is so big. Our problems are all tangled together. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Where do we start? What should we do? I’ve always come back to the idea that I need to help myself first before I can help others, but where is the limit? How much do I need to have before I can look outside myself. If the answer to the title question is “no,” and I refuse to help others until I find happiness myself, it’s impossible to reach the goal of happiness.
So what is the answer to the title question? If the answer is no it would seem we’re all doomed for eternal misery. I’ve always been intrigued by how wealthy communities tend to have more space between their houses and bigger fences dividing them. It seems that one of the perks of wealth is the ability to cut yourself off from the world. There’s no doubt that people are able to buffer themselves from the outside world, but is a physical barrier enough? Maybe consciously we can trick ourselves, but subconsciously we know. The bigger the fence we build, the bigger the suffering is we’re trying to hide from.
I don’t have a revolutionary solution to our problems. I’m not even sure of the next few steps. But I like the mental activity of considering that my happiness is dependent upon the people around me. This thought makes me stop, look around me, and see how I can support the people around me. It also forces me to find the humility to allow other people to help me. It makes me realize that I might need to grow and change with the people around me to find happiness. It helps me to live with more love and compassion for people and situations that I’m tempted to judge but actually know very little about. Time to meditate.