BBC R4 Thought for the Day

Canon David Winter, 8 September 2007

"What did you do at school today, dear?" "RS, double English, PE, double chemistry and happiness." That could become fact, not whimsy, most of the papers thought, having skimmed through the latest guidelines for schools on social and emotional education. British children apparently need lessons in happiness. Well, perhaps they do, though it might be more sensible for the students to teach the teachers, judging from my distant memories of some school staff rooms.

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are fundamental human rights, according to the American Constitution. But how on earth do you 'pursue' happiness? I had always understood that it was a by-product of other choices, an extra gift added like icing on the cake when everything else is working properly. That certainly seems to be the way the biblical writers saw it. The very first Psalm claims that those whose delight is in the law of the Lord, who steer clear of cynics and reject bad advice, are happy. Indeed, the psalmist says, they are "like trees planted by streams of water", green-leaved and fruitful. They've got their goals in life right, their priorities are clear and with those qualities of character happiness just slips into their lives.

It all sounds quite simple, really. The trouble, as so often, is in the practice rather than the theory. We all know devoutly religious people who are also devoutly miserable, their lives a constant moan about some real or imagined moral carbuncle on local or national life. On the other hand, we probably all know people who do seem to have found the secret of genuine happiness, to be content in their skins, at peace with God, the world and their neighbours.

Happiness is extraordinarily hard to define. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus spoke of the poor in heart, the bereaved and the persecuted as 'happy' - but only because they 'see God', or are 'comforted', or will receive a great reward in heaven. That's not how most modern people see happiness. Winning the lottery, getting a date with Kylie in year twelve or my team winning the Cup - that sounds more like everyday happiness.

'Happy', in Bible language, is 'blessed', blessed by God - they're exactly the same word, in the original languages of the Bible. That's miles away from the short-termism of large amounts in the bank, a date that might or might not be a success, or a Cup win that precedes relegation next season. It's unfashionable, I know, but the advice of Jesus to "store up treasure in heaven", safe from rust, moths, thieves or inflation, could still be the vital clue to happiness of the long-term kind. But, sadly, I don't imagine anyone is thinking of teaching that kind of happiness in the classroom.

copyright 2007 BBC