What if “happiness” is found most often in the places which demand sacrifice and surrender?
We are urged to be happy. But what is happiness? Does it ever fall under our control, or are we at the mercy of the unknown forces within and without us? Join Dr. James Hollis for an exploration of our expectations regarding happiness and the role that not being happy plays in our experiencing happiness. What does it mean when we are not “happy”? Have we failed at something? What is the balance between happiness and suffering? What if “meaning” is often found in the areas least happy for us? What if “happiness” is found most often in the places which demand sacrifice and surrender? Together we will explore the popular expectation that we are supposed to be happy, and reframe the conversation in terms of meaning – happiness is transient and contextual, while meaning abides and makes all things worthwhile.
James Hollis, PhD, is a Zurich trained Jungian analyst with a practice in Washington, D.C. He is the author of eighteen books translated into twenty languages, the latest titled The Broken Mirror: Refracted Visions of Ourselves.