Handout for Chapter 4 of Prager

The Holy Happiness Project at Hope
Chapter 4. There is No Good Definition of Happiness
Website: http://holyhappinessproject.blogspot.com

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with Gladness; come before Him with Joyful Songs. Ps. 100

Quotes:
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. Matt 16:25

I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve. Albert Schweitzer.

…for they constantly forget, what you must always remember, that they [meaning humans] are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls. The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis

Review of Last Week:
Gratitude Journal—any new thoughts?
Silence? Any experiences to relate?
Prayers for Happiness. Let us know any experiences?
The Mind is important.

Discussion This Week:
Prager seems to be saying that we know what happiness is without needing a definition. Do you agree? What are advantages and disadvantages of working without an agreed definition?

In The Lost Virtue of Happiness, J. P. Moreland, Christian philosopher, writes that part of the reason for so much modern unhappiness is in fact a change in what we think the definition of happiness is. It has changed from “A life well lived, a life of virtue and character, a life that manifests wisdom, kindness, and goodness” to “a feeling of pleasurable satisfaction.” To Jefferson, “The pursuit of happiness” meant pursuing a good, full, and virtuous life, NOT pursuing pleasurable satisfaction. Is it possible to pursue “a feeling of pleasurable satisfaction?” Why or why not?

In Healing the Culture, Robert J. Spitzer, PhD, gives a theory of happiness based on the general definition that “happiness” means “the fulfillment of desire.” He then goes on to detail four levels of happiness based on the work of Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, and the Scriptures.
1. Sensory. Characteristics?
a. Examples
b. Duration: immediate and short
c. Crisis

2. Ego gratification. Characteristics?
a. Examples
b. Duration: short term
c. Crisis

3. Contributive, make a difference. Characteristics?
a. Examples
b. Duration: Longer term
c. Crisis

4. Desire for ultimate, perfection.
a. Examples
b. Duration: Eternal
c. Crisis?

Is there anything bad or wrong with feelings of pleasurable satisfaction, sensory pleasure, or ego gratification?

How do these alternative thoughts about defining happiness alter your thoughts about the first question?

Assignment:
1. Gratitude Journal, Quiet in life (continue). Continue to pray for awareness.
2. Start increasing your physical activity. Walk, swim, dance, stretch!
3. Read Chapter 5 of Prager.