Less is more. It's happiness.

"To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness."  Bertrand Russell

This was my fb status today.  Everyday I post a quote from a philosopher, poet, celebrity, or artist with the word "happy" or "happiness" in it.  Some of them are quite silly.  Some of them are quite deep.  Today's quote is really making me think.  This quote is contrary to what most Americans believe, in my opinion.  I know my son believes having "things" will make him happy.  He's a collector.  I've watched our government struggle to deal with the national debt crisis.  I've heard politicians say they are unwilling to give up programs and entitlements the country can no longer afford.  I've heard politicians say they are unwilling to ask the American people to give them more money to pay for these programs and entitlements.  I will be keeping my opinion on this crisis to myself, since I'm not a ranting political blogger.  But, I have opinions.  I've mentioned before, one of my guilty pleasures is the tv show Hoarders.  I understand this show is about people with an actual mental illness when it comes to having "things."  I know there are LOTS of people with a desire for things beyond their needs.  Can you say "self-storage centers."  By the number of those facilities I notice in my travels, we Americans should be SUPER happy.  We have so many things we can't even fit them all in our homes.

Bertrand Russell was a philosopher.  He investigated the concept of happiness.  One of his concepts for attaining happiness was to keep zest in one's life.  Russell equated zest for life as hunger is for food.  He said we should work for our happiness.  It shouldn't come to us easily.  Happiness is a desire that is best fulfilled when there is a difficulty to overcome.  We are the most happy when we succeed at something taking great effort to attain.  This draws me back to our political situation.  I remember the surprise and applause and general happiness sweeping through the House chamber when the Honorable Gabby Giffords entered to vote on the bill.  It wasn't whether her vote was to be yea or nay.  It was her presence in Washington after suffering a gunshot wound to the head.  It was the very fact she had overcome great hardship to be in that chamber.  This was the source of the happiness at this hour.

Russell believed the greatest deterrent to happiness was, what he called, "the disease of over self-absorption."  This is something I wholeheartedly agree with.  We, as humans, are happiest when we think of others and take the focus off ourselves.  We are social creatures and sometimes, I'm afraid, our diminishing face-to-face contact through use of social mediums, digital communication, electronic warfare, etc. is crippling us in this aspect.  The biggest danger of this disease of self-absorption is to begin to see others as objects of comparison.  This is a dangerous game to play.  Coveting our neighbor's wife.  Keeping up with the Jones'.  By interacting, face-to-face, with other humans we have a chance to develop empathy and see other as people and save ourselves from self-absorption.

Being without is the only way to develop desire.  And, not every empty space needs to be filled with "things."  Today's quote struck a cord with me and my desire for minimalism.  It encourages me to keep freeing myself of my stuff and move on with my life.