How happiness happens (or doesn't happen)
There is a lot of suffering going on in the world even at the best of times, and these are not the best of times. The latest developments in the Ukraine-Russia conflict have prompted much public outcry, and messages of support from governments and individuals all over the world, even from thousands of kilometres away, including on social media. Sending the right message by what we say is important. But, let's face it, for 99.9% of us, it really is only talk. CS Lewis wrote satirically in "The Screwtape Letters" about a demon's observations of human nature, and how to best negate the usefulness of man: "Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient's soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbours whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know." How many of us are rude to our spouses, impatient with our children,...