The other day a friend from law school posted the following tweet:
I found this interesting because I totally “brainhammer” everything. You may have noticed that recently I have been obsessed with two things: personality and community.
In fact, I feel a bit like I did 20 years ago when I was on my mission. I remember thinking:
“Why isn’t everyone dying to take these discussions? If there is even a possibility that this can lead to eternal life, is it too much to spend 5 minutes on it?”
Of course, the reason people tend to pass up missionaries has something to do with my friend’s Skepticism about brainhammering. When people get obsessed with an idea they tend to think it is the secret to unlocking all mysteries. But for the most part, lives are complicated and the idea your friend just got obsessed about might lead to a 1% incremental improvement if you really put in the effort, but there are a hundred other things you could be doing right now to improve your life so get in line…
Anyway, the idea that happiness is complicated, and the things I happen to be obsessed with at the moment may not be the secret to everyone’s happiness got me thinking. Maybe I should put my ideas in the context of some kind of standard model. If you aren’t sure what that means, in physics there is a theory that pretty much sums up everything we know about the fundamental nature of particles. Here it is:
Basically, the Standard Model is to physics what the periodic table is to chemistry. So what is the standard model of happiness? In other words, what are the basic components of happiness that most people in our society would agree on? I think there is a pretty strong connection between the Standard Model of Happiness and what I recently called the Established Hierarchy, which can currently be described as Christian Capitalism. Anyway, here is my current sketch of the Standard Model of Happiness:
- Get an education (at least an undergraduate college degree)
- Get Married
- Have a few kids (1–4)
- Stay healthy (diet and exercise)
- Be a decent person (i.e., don’t break the law, give to charity)
- Make as much money as you can
- Buy stuff (nice car, house, tv, phone)
- Be entertained (netflix, movies, computer games, sports, travel)
- If necessary, medicate (pain killers, anti-depressants)
Remember, although I compared it to the Standard Model of particle physics, this is not really meant to be a scientific theory. It has a lot to do with what society tells us is the path to happiness.
If you have something to add (or think something on here doesn’t fit) let me know in the comments. I really am interested in refining my concept of the Standard Model.
Ok, so here are some critiques of the Standard Model:
- It isn’t sufficiently spiritual or God-centered
- Not everyone has an equal opportunity to make money, get an education, etc. (esp. minorities, underprivileged)
- Not everyone can achieve (or wants to achieve) a traditional nuclear family
- The market economy leads to alienation of labor (i.e., we don’t feel like our work is meaningful)
- There is no great solution for women who want to balance career and motherhood
- This model is not sustainable for the environment
- People need a community to be happy, not just a nuclear family
I think most of these critiques are more more salient on the left because of the deep connection between the Standard Model and the Established Hierarchy. But not all of them. Take the first one. I think that our nation is mostly secular at this point. To be too religious is not mainstream anymore. I use the term Christian Capitalism because our system of morality has Judeo-Christian roots, not because anyone is actually expected to go to church anymore. But being religious used to be a part of the Standard Model, so I would categorize that particular critique as a conservative one.
So one way to characterize whether you are a radical is whether you think that the Standard Model is a good recipe for happiness for most people, or whether you think society ought to be substantially reorganized (i.e., for one of the reasons mentioned above).
