The Pursuit of Happiness
and the Lost Purpose
for Learning
By Dr. Christian Overman
W
HAT MAKES A PERSON HAPPY? Before I go any further, let me say
I do not believe personal happiness is what life is about. A “pursuit of
happiness” apart from Christ leads over a cliff. For followers of Christ, our
pursuit must be centered on Him, not on ourselves.
While happiness in itself is not a worthy pursuit, it certainly is a byproduct
of living life as God intended it to be lived. Jesus taught His disciples to keep
His commandments so their “joy might be full” (John 15:10-11). While some
Christian leaders distinguish “joy” from “happiness,” there’s a lot of crossover.
The subject of human happiness has become the focus of much study over
the past two decades in higher education. One may now earn a degree in the
study of human happiness from such schools as Harvard and the University
of Pennsylvania.
The results of empirical studies on what actually makes people happy are
revealing and instructive. There is an important message here for educators
and a validation of what authentic Christian education is about.
What caught my attention recently was a blog post written by
psychologist Dr. David Mashburn. He shared that according to
current research, one of the five pillars of human happiness (the one
he believes may be “at the core of all the others”) is: meaning and
purpose in one’s life.
Dr. Mashburn went on to say, “Prolific researcher Martin
Seligman defines this pillar of meaning like this: ‘Using
your strengths and talents to belong and to serve something
that is larger than yourself.’ What these researchers have
uncovered,” Mashburn continued, “is that much of how
we experience any activity or pursuit can be altered by how
36