The Nature of Work and Happiness

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, MAY 14-15

"The purpose of our lives is happiness" -- the Dalai Lama.

Traveling outside the United States, especially in less developed countries, always makes me wonder about what it takes to be happy. I so often notice people in other countries who work so much harder than people in my country for a piece of fish or bread. And yet, these people often seem very happy, in fact, happier than many people I know at home.

As I finish up my photo shooting trip in Vietnam with a couple of days in Saigon, the question is on my mind again. Truly, we are more comfortable in the United States and live easier lives and enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. But are we really happier than those with less?

And, if the purpose of our lives is happiness, are we on the right path?

Our emphasis on careers, advancement and making more money to buy more stuff has not made us a happier people. But we have so vigorously pursued these values that we borrowed money we did not have to buy bigger homes and more consumer goods. And look where we've ended up -- in a punishing recession. You will find few people who are more ardent free-market capitalists than I. But a good capitalist would be the first to tell you that you cannot sustain a lifestyle that is built upon borrowed money.

Many philosophers have waxed more eloquently than I can about the nature of work and happiness and how to find it. So, I will not try.

But I do like the prescription of the Dalai Lama: He says happiness can be found in undertaking acts designed to make others better off, an idea common in the doctrine of many faiths, not just Buddhism. He adds that by following that guiding principle, things like career, job, family and other parts of life would become increasingly indistinguishable.

With careful distinctions between work, family and other parts of our lives, we Americans unfortunately live far from that definition of bliss.

To be certain, many Americans live happy lives, pursuing work they love. I was fortunate to spend 30 years doing that in newspaper journalism. And now, I have my photography to bring that same joy to my life. But far too many people fail to find that kind of calling and live lives of quiet desperation.  

So, of course, when I was on the far northern frontier of Vietnam, I had to wonder if the local people I met there were further along the path to happiness. As I stood on the side of a mountain, I could see a young man and woman doing the backbreaking work of preparing a rice paddy for planting, the clunking of wood bells on buffalo came from further down in the valley and from out-of-sight I could hear children playing during school recess.

These simultaneous acts seemed to have such harmony and their sounds a simple symphony of life that has gone on for centuries.

Indeed, our values about the nature of work and wealth are very different. But there are many common values in family, friends and health, as well as faith, patriotism and wanting to build a better future. In the end, I find it useful to look at them looking back on us. It is a new way to see ourselves as a people and individuals and ask the profound questions about whether we are on the path we want to be.

I hope my images here have helped introduce you to these people and their country and that you can also grow from that experience.