power-success-happiness
Power, Success, and Happiness
The world is founded on a very limited definition of power, namely wealth, professional success, fame, physical strength, military might, and political control. There is another kind of power, a greater power: the power to be happy right in the present moment, free from addiction, fear, despair, discrimination, anger, and ignorance. This power is the birthright of every human being, whether celebrated or unknown, rich or poor, strong or weak.
What is success? What is Power?
What if that power and success are not bringing you happiness? Do you want that life?
All of us want to be powerful and successful. But if our drive to get and maintain power drains us and strains our relationships, we never truly enjoy our professional or material success, and it’s simply not worth it.
Living our life deeply and with happiness, having time to care for our loved ones—this is another kind of success, another kind of power, and it is much more important. There is only one kind of success that really matters: the success of transforming ourselves, transforming our afflictions, fear, and anger. This is the kind of success, the kind of power that will benefit us and others without causing any damage.
Wanting power, fame, and wealth is not a bad thing, but we should know that we seek these things because we want to be happy. If you are rich and powerful but unhappy, what’s the point of being rich and powerful?
The ambition to grow our understanding and compassion and to help the world is a wonderful energy that gives our lives genuine purpose. Many great teachers before us—Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, and Mahatma Gandhiji—also had this ambition.
Today we experience the same profound desire as they did: to embody peace, relieve suffering, and help people. We have seen that one person can bring liberation and healing to thousands, even millions of people. But it is important to remember that to realize this wonderful ambition, we must first take care of ourselves.
Business/Profession with Compassion, Kindness, and Integrity:
Businesses that intelligently combine profit-making with integrity and concern for the world have happier employees and more satisfied customers while making more money. Companies that care for the physical and mental well-being of their employees and the larger community thrive in all aspects.
When financial profit overrides all other motivations, we self-destruct. That is why it is important that we conduct our professional lives with compassion and kindness. Without compassion, you can’t be happy, no matter how rich you are.
In the Universe, everything is interconnected at a cosmic energy level; no one is isolated. When you look deeply, you see the pain and suffering in the world and recognize your deep desire to relieve it.
You also recognize that bringing joy to others is the greatest joy you can have, the greatest achievement. In choosing to cultivate true power, you do not have to give up your desire for the good life. Your life can be more satisfying, and you will be happy and relaxed, relieving suffering and bringing happiness to everyone.
Often when we start out in our profession, we do it out of love for our family and our community. In the beginning, our intentions are good. But slowly, we become consumed with pursuing success in our work. Craving success, power, and fame replaces our focus on family and community. This is when we begin to lose our happiness.
In Buddhism, we see power differently from the way most of the world views it. Money, fame, and power can all contribute somewhat to your happiness, but if you lack love, even if you have a lot of money, fame, and power, you can’t be entirely happy.
We have to recognize the truth that if there’s no love or no deep motivation to serve this love, then no matter how rich or powerful you are, you still can’t be happy. This is true not only for individuals but also for nations.
Many countries want to make progress economically and materially. But true progress is to be happy. What is the use of having more money if you suffer more? You become a victim of your own success. We have to measure progress in terms of true happiness.
When the desire for material wealth becomes more important than the health and happiness of people, a nation may become rich and powerful, but the people still suffer. To me, a civilized society is one where people have the time to live their daily lives deeply, love, and take care of their families and communities.
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