Pursuit of Happiness

I was watching ‘Your Baby Can Read’ video CD with my son and one of the segments featured a poem that goes something like this:

Babies like to learn new things
Because of the joy that learning brings

My son Caden has been growing steadily for the past few months. Not a single day passes by when he does not learn how to say a new word or communicate through the look of his eyes and his action, a greater understanding of how things are. And the realization that he has learnt new things brings us much joy.

How I wish I had watched that VCD when I was young. In retrospect, I did not realize that learning is the key to happiness until a few years ago. Prior to that, I went through schooling up till university level with the thought that the knowledge gain was to help me in securing a job in the society, not so much of the joy it could bring.

Not until I read the books ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ by Robin Sharma and ‘Awaken The Giants Within’ by Anthony Robbins that I start to realize learning is truly the key to happiness. In ‘Awaken The Giant Within’, Anthony explains how our brain and neuron system works at our subconscious level. Every time we learn something through seeing, listening, smelling, tasting and touching, formation of linkage or linkages between or amongst neurons occurs. This process brings about some electro-chemical activities that make us feel happy. So in order to feel happy, we should always bring about these neuro-chemical activities. That is why Anthony advocates his trademark term CANI! – Constant And Never-ending Improvement, similar to the Japanese concept of Kaizen mentioned in “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’.

The Chinese has a similar conventional wisdom that translates literally to ‘Live till Death, Learn till Death’ (活到老，学到老). It highlights the importance of keep on learning and upgrading oneself not just to remain relevant to the society, but also to achieve greater joy of living.

When we help someone learns, the joy becomes double, because joyful emotions are infectious. When we help someone learns, our neoro-linkages get reinforced, hence also brings about the neuro-chemical activities that will make us happy.

I get so excited when Caden managed to show me where his ears and eyes are when I ask him about them. Every time he stands up automatically and dances to the tune of the action song:

Heads and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,

Heads and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose

Heads and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

I could not help it but to also sing and action together with him. Although the song is still a little too fast for him to follow, but he will still stand up and goes for his toes straight away.

As adults, have we stopped learning? When was the last time we read a self-help book, attend a seminar, or attend a discussion group? When was the last time we opened our mind and be willing to admit that we did not know something and it is time for us to go and find out? Are we unhappy because we think that we have already known all, and life has become stagnant and dull? It is time to bring about that neuro-chemical activity.