Comments on: Alice Walker: Barack Obama’s Primary Responsibility is Happiness. Is she right?

By: Bloggers Define Success Like Dat! — Practice This

Bloggers Define Success Like Dat! — Practice This — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:43:47 +0000

[...] Alice Walker: Barack Obama’s Primary Responsibility is Happiness. Is she right? [...]

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:04:06 +0000

I think that if he started cultivating a Dalai Lama-like quality of peace and happiness, it would be great for him and our country. An angry, stressed, irritable president is definitely not what we need. Angry people can get things done, but I don't think they're the best, especially if the peaceful people are active and capable. Mrs. Micahs last blog post..New Library Job!!

By: porillion

porillion — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:31:47 +0000

Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that often we forget that we are happy. We forget that we live in paradise here and now. Only when something takes away our happiness (toothache, an unexpected bill, through to tragedies) do we remember that we have "lost" that happiness. Mindfulness is the habit that returns us to happiness. And I think it is quite right too that we should share our time with others to help them remember their happiness. porillions last blog post..Forthcoming Changes

By: Mary Jaksch

Mary Jaksch — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:21:52 +0000

Hi Marc and Angel!
Thanks for pointing out the gremlin. I’ve fixed it.

By: Marc and Angel Hack Life

Marc and Angel Hack Life — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:54:28 +0000

You have a small grammar error in your first sentence. Should be “points”, not “point”. Great article though.

Marc and Angel Hack Lifes last blog post..10 Reasons You Are Rich

By: Mary Jaksch

Mary Jaksch — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:31:07 +0000

Hi Adrilia!
Beautifully expressed! (so beautifully that I immediately went to read your interesting blog http://www.adriliavpedersen.com/blog)

By: Adrilia

Adrilia — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:18:32 +0000

Alice Walker's letter to Obama is inspired. It resonated powerfully with me the first time I saw it -- the way some things just resonate inside you without further explanation. Truth. It's great advice for us all. Grab hold of what's most important: your calling, your passion, your joy in life and in your work ... that which deeply feeds you; and see your world move and breathe and shift and begin to transform ... like that. Adrilias last blog post..Planning for Success: Transform your work environment

By: Mary Jaksch

Mary Jaksch — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:54:59 +0000

Hi Jean!
Ah yes- “up-close and personal experience of politicians”…My father (who died when I was 17) was a member of parliament in Germany. He loved us kids but we didn’t see him much. He was totally consumed with his work in politics and hardly talked about anything else.

By: Jean

Jean — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:37:16 +0000

I think she’s right. And also entirely Utopian. My experience of politicians (considerable, multi-national, up-close and personal) is that they are almost without exception (and the successful ones entirely without exception) people who are willing constantly to put achievement and power above happiness. The kind of person who is willing to do this is definitely not healthy, in my book, and not someone I want to be governed by. Alas. But there’s a first time for everything, and let’s all wish Barack Obama the very best, including happiness.

By: Mary Jaksch

Mary Jaksch — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:25:15 +0000

Hi Chris!
I like what you say: “The last thing we need is a burnt out, disconnected president!”

It seems to me that sometimes we shield ourselves from empathizing with intense suffering by disconnection emotionally.

I experience that within myself when I watch the news and see children dying in Africa.

So, it may happen to Obama as well when he witnesses great suffering.