find a happiness that lasts. But
because ‘the pursuit of happiness’
is promised to us as a right in the
founding document of our nation,
the Declaration of Independence,
we carry a sense of entitlement. We
think we deserve happiness. And if
we don’t find what we consider to be
happiness, we are likely to develop
what . . . Alexis de Tocqueville called
‘a strange melancholy in the midst of
abundance.”
What an apt description of the atti-
tude of most Americans—surrounded
by all the things we think will make
us happy, and yet restless and
dissatisfied inside. According to
one mom, what we have is never
enough. We always want more. If
we’re hungry and the food bank
is passing out bread, we want two
loaves instead of just one. If the
church is giving away free coffee
after Sunday service, we’re irritated
that it isn’t Starbucks. If we’re single,
we want to be married. If we’re
married, we want a better spouse.
We want to be thinner, prettier, and
richer. We want a good job, then
a better one. Then, that job is no
Solutions 55