Pursuit of happiness in the New Year
A cousin of mine from San Francisco didn’t much care for the “lump of coal” I sent to his Christmas stocking in the form of my recent column on America’s two presidential candidates (“Americans shouldn’t be forced to pick lesser of 2 ‘evils,’” Dec. 24).
He’s right. Writing about politics during the holiday season should get me permanently inscribed on Santa’s naughty list.
To make up for my transgression, I sat down with thousands of other sentimental couch-dwellers on Christmas Eve to watch the Jimmy Stewart movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The story of unassuming George Bailey, a man from a small American town whose life turns out to have large consequences, is a guaranteed tearjerker and soulcleanser for anyone hoping for a new start in the next year. As the Jewish proverb says, “What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.” After watching holiday films like Frank Capra’s classic, many feel clean and ready to reflect about the life we find ourselves living.
As the movie publication Collider puts it, “It’s a Wonderful Life follows George as he navigates his life. After facing repeated problems and growing frustrated over how his life has turned out, George attempts to commit suicide. His perspective drastically changes when his guardian angel shows him how life would be if he were never born.”
The lessons learned by George, who undervalued his own worth, are full of timeless truths the film’s review reveals like: “All you can take with you is that which you have given away,” “no man is a failure who has friends,” “your life has purpose,” “doing the right thing can be hard, but doesn’t go unrewarded,” “life doesn’t always go as planned — but there’s still good in it,” “true wealth isn’t always money,” etc.
The thoughts of a fanciful Hollywood filmmaker, or are these some of the things that make for a good, even a wonderful life?
In fact, the question of human happiness is the subject of the world’s longest ongoing scientific study. The 84-year Harvard study is contained in the book “The Good Life.” It reveals how the