July 10, 2007
Kamloops Daily News


We still haven't found what we're looking for. But my
generation, the baby boomers, hasn't stopped looking. We'll
know what it is when we find it.

In the 1960s and 1970s we wanted the simple life: sex, drugs
and rock and roll. The "me" generation of the 1980s
abandoned flower power and found fulfillment in the material
world.

Now, as boomers approach 60 they find a certain emptiness in
a lifestyle based consumption. They think happiness will
fill the hollow.

They are not sure what happiness is but they will go about
getting with a determination that characterizes the boomer
generation.

Happiness is the new Holy Grail of the baby boomers. The
pursuit of it is a growth industry. There used to be
do-it-yourself books on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance. Now there are happiness books, TV and radio
programmes, videos and websites. There are happiness
institutes, camps, clubs, classes, cruises, workshops, and
retreats.

Some universities are even adding Happiness Studies.
Sensibly, not our Thompson Rivers University; the closest
thing I could find was a course in Pleasure Boat Operation.

Psychologist John Schumaker says: "At its heart the
happiness boom is a metaphor for the modern struggle for
meaning."

But happiness is not something that can be grasped; nor will
happiness guarantee contentment.

Until now, boomers have lived like there is no tomorrow but
now they find cold comfort in a life of excess. As they
face their own mortality they find only superficial
happiness. Happicondriacs gush; urging us to not to worry,
be happy.

Joy seems to abound. People insist that we have a nice day.
Perky happiness cheerleaders radiate the power of positive
thinking. Cynics and pessimists cower in the shadows.
Despite global disintegration and the rule of warlords, it's
a wonderful world.

This kind of happiness is not fulfilling. The foam of
superficial happiness rides on the dark currents of
discontent, frustration, stress, anger, boredom, spiritual
starvation.

Boomers have believed the mantra of self-gratification for
so long that it's hard to shift gears.

To my fellow travelers on the road of life, I offer the
following.

Happiness is not about you. Happiness can't be bought, sold
or cajoled. It's not a state of mind; it's a condition of
place. Examine the way you live rather than searching for
personal gratification. Self-absorption is a barrier to
happiness.

The places where we live must allow the light of true
happiness to penetrate. Too often, our cities are designed
around the car which leads to alienation and the
fragmentation of families.

Our places are designed to make us physically unfit,
sleep-deprived, dumbed-down and in debt.

Shumaker explains that: "The study of happy societies
reveals the importance of social connectedness,
spirituality, simplicity, modesty of expectations,
gratitude, patience, touch, music, movement, play, and down
time."

Reconsider happiness as a goal. Only one-half a century
ago, the question "are you happy?" would have seemed
ridiculously self-indulgent. Back then other qualities were
celebrated, such as loyalty, friendship, moderation, honesty
compassion and trust.

Albert Einstein said: "Happiness never appeared to me as an
absolute aim. The ideals that have lighted my way are
kindness, beauty and truth"

Can Calgarians find happiness in Kamloops? Venture Kamloops
recently sent out 50,000 brochures to Calgarians inviting
them to live in Kamloops. The brochure points out the
"merits of investing, living, visiting and working" here.

It's a mistake to stress the investment opportunities of
Kamloops. Calgarians are eager to get away from a place
which investment opportunities created. They want to
escape the boom-town rat race and live where people still
have time to share quiet moments in a public commons.

Kamloops offers the opposite of what Calgary has become; a
leisurely pace of life in which we still have time to
welcome to strangers.

Professor John Helliwell of the University of British
Columbia has studied the qualities of place. "The variables
that jump right out at you relate to the trustworthiness of
the environment that people are living in. How much do they
trust strangers? How well can they trust people in the
neighbourhood? The more positive answers people give on
these questions, the happier they are."

This former Calgarian found happiness here. After moving
here 26 years ago, I have come to realize that happiness is
not a personal quest; it is a condition of the society in
which I live.
 

David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca

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