Bertrand Russell’s Take On Happiness

When you come to think of it, life is not a destination in itself, because in the end there will always be other aims to achieve and tasks to do. Nor is it a journey; that still implies a destination, which existence never reaches. Everything is not going to be finally set in stone. If it was a journey, you would dread the present since you would always be longing for something that’s not there.

One may be ensuring oneself about the consolation on that one glorious and ideal day, everything is going to sort itself out. Your wife will finally “get it”, you will get that surfin’ hot car and the job promotion, and all the pains and problems of life would finally fade away forever. If that was the case, you might as well have skipped the trip and just proceeded to the joyous conclusion. Why wait?

But who skips a music video they love to the end just so they can hear the outro? Absolutely no one. What is life all about, then? Music. Life is like music as in you want to enjoy it. What’s the best way to enjoy music? By listening. And when does that happen? In the present, without a worry in the world.

Which brings me to Bertrand Russell (1872–1940), a prominent British philosopher and writer of the 20th century and his take on happiness.

Russell believed that too much introspection is the root cause of unhappiness. This continuous pondering about the problems, issues, faults and lacking areas of our lives leads to much unnecessary existential misery, engendering anger, envy, sadness, apathy and frustration.

Replaying that breakup with Jennifer in your head all the time, figuring out what you could’ve done differently, is simply not conducive to a better life; you’re simply stuck in the past. There is nothing good to come from overthinking. The same holds true for worrying about the future or finding yourself in imagined realities.

Sure, some daydreams from time to time is normal and creatively inspiring, but don’t use it as an escapist fantasy from a less-than-ideal everyday life. That hinders you from actually making progress on your life goals and enjoying the truly magical present.

Instead of this mental bullcrap, Russell proposed a simple solution: Think about fixing your problems when it’s senseable and timely, and otherwise focus on external affairs, like family, friends and hobbies. Some examples would be:

• spending time with your family
• hanging out with friends
• playing football, tennis, cricket, lacrosse or any other sport
• engaging in hobbies, activities or interests such as collecting WWII memorabilia, reading about astrology, walking in nature, studying political analysis, watching YouTube videos, playing ukulele or whatever
• taking up a creative endeavour such as writing, painting, composing music, woodworking, crafting things etc.
• being an active member of the community or some organization as a volunteer or just helping your neighbours out
• diving deep into a project you’ve been wanting to do for a long time (starting a blog on Medium, for instance)

In general, just doing things that makes you happy. It’s just common sense: Doing activities that are meaningful, constructive and mind-easing are good for you. It gives you a break from your perpetual worries.

Try not to overthink about your negative issues while doing more cheerful things; the inevitable result will always be fear, resentment, anger or any other harmful feeling. Direct your energies outward. Deal with the problems as they come, but set aside time for breaks too. Balance is necessary between work and play.

Russell himself understood this, and he had suicidal thoughts as a child.

A few other concepts Russell believed was crucial for a good life, was two essential virtues: hard work and tolerance.

Hard work relates to making a genuine effort towards your goals and aims in life. Yes, it will be difficult, so you’ll need plenty of patience, perseverance and a strong work ethic which will get you where you want to be. Are you in it for the long haul? This is what will sustain your soul and make life truly worth living.

Tolerance would mean to accept the inexorably horrific events and things in life that will eventually happen, stuff like death, mourning, disappointments, failures, losses, a bad day at work/school, assholes and so on and so forth. It’s inevitable, so you can might as well get along with it.

So, to wrap things up:

• Have a balance between thinking about your problems, issues, pondering in general, faults etc. and your hobbies, interests, social life and other activities. Spend the majority of your time doing the things you want in life. If you enjoy pursuing creative endeavours, do that. Fix your problems when appropriate and senseable.
• Work towards your goals and aims in life. Be ambitious and optimistic, and don’t give up (try & fail, try again is a good mentality). This is what will sustain you.
• Remain tolerant towards the sorrows, mischiefs & miseries life will unavoidably throw your way

Other than that: just relax. Don’t take life too seriously. Go for a walk in the forest. Plant a tree. Read your favourite book over again. Watch a great film. Invert negativity into ambition.

Whatever you do, do not let that worrisome, negative-fixating voice in your head get a hold of you. You’re better than that. And more importantly, your entire life is worth more than that.