Why Happiness Isn’t Enough
My oldest son has always been an “old soul.” He thinks deeply about things and yet wants to see the logic. He looked at me with questioning eyes that day. I had just told him I didn’t want him to have an easy, happy life. I wanted him to have a fulfilling one. A fulfilled life would mean hard work and painful decisions. Even at his age, he understood that. Why would I wish that on my child?
I just started listening to Emily Esfahani Smith’s book The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life that Matters, and it reminded me of that discussion with my son. It happened over a decade ago, but we still talk about it sometimes. And I’m going to have to tell him about this book. It validates everything I told him.