My Idea

I had an insight yesterday, on my way home on the bus (I do all my best thinking on the bus). I was wishing I was smarter. Sometimes there are mental challenges just hard enough that I can see I'm not smart enough to understand them - it's like revving an engine, and it's overheating and starting to make that burnt electrical wire smell, and I start to feel frustrated and disappointed in myself because I just can't get it. Anyway, I thought, "Boy, if only I was smarter - I'd be happier..." and then it occurred to me that maybe that's not true. In fact, maybe it's the opposite. A lot of smart people are also really depressed, plagued by a host of neuroses, and dissatisfied with themselves. On Maslow's Hierarchy, they've achieved all the basics like food and shelter, but they're struggling with things like self-actualization and legacy to the world and sense of purpose, and those are notoriously tricky. It's a lot easier to be happy when your thoughts run no deeper than your desire for a bowl of soup. And then you get a bowl of soup.

Then I asked myself, "Would you rather be smarter, or happier?" and the answer to that is a shoe-in. Or maybe I should say no-brainer.

So, my insight was not the old "ignorance is bliss" discovery which everyone knows, it was the technique of making myself feel better by setting up a choice between what I think I want (and don't have) and what I really want. I can use this for the rest of my life. "Would you rather be rich, or happy?" I'll ask myself as I open up my 99 cent can of Campbell's tomato soup. "Would you rather live in a nice house, or be happy?" "Would you rather have lots of friends, or be happy?" It works great.