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In my life journey travelling the world, I have come across many wonderful people, all sources of inspiration to me. I have also noted that many people-including myself- at times have been knocking at the wrong door to enter the “House of Happiness”. Going through the wrong door seeking wisdom on how to lead a positive and good life, can only bring the seekers a bad harvest, a harvest of bitterness, anxiety, panic attacks and depression, to name but a few.
Some friends and students whom have heard me talking about “Happiness” have encouraged me to put pen to paper and write these few short pages on “Are You Still Searching for Happiness?” I am delighted for the opportunity of sharing with you the wisdom I have learnt from others before me. I hope if you find time to read it, you will be as inspired as I have been by so much wisdom and kindness all around us, only to be discovered should we decide to seek them.
Be positive, look on the bright side, stay focused on success, and look after the number one, shop till you drop: so goes our modern mantra for finding happiness. But perhaps the true path to contentment is to learn to be for the Common Good
Happiness is…
From the dawn of our creation, our ultimate desire has been to find happiness. This desire is in the nature of things; it is common to all of us, at all times, and in all places. Nature, the material of the universe, is modified by us to create wealth so that this desire may be satisfied.
Today, at the dawn of the Third Millennium, our civilisation has scored its greatest successes in the material sciences. Our glory is the willing application of these achievements to daily life: they have brought us enormous benefits. However, in our understanding of the forces governing the relations between people in society we have shown little aptitude. So tragic is this failure that we have turned the masterpieces of the material sciences into engines of destruction which threaten to annihilate the civilisation which produced them.
This is the challenge of our time: we must either find the way of truth in the government of our relations one with another, or succumb to the results of our ignorance.
There is no doubt that every person in the world wants to be happy, and the search for happiness unites us as human beings. But we live in a world that seems custom-made for unhappiness a world riddled with disease, injustice, loss, poverty, war, death, pain, and misfortunes of every kind. Can human beings find happiness in a world like this? Many psychologists, psychiatrists, philosophers, theologians, sociologists, economists, and other deep thinkers believe that the root of most unhappiness comes from a narrow understanding of human meaning and purpose. This Blog will address different ways to interpret human meaning, happiness, and will attempt to discuss how these interpretations of human happiness affect our understanding of success, quality of life, love, suffering, freedom, ethics, personhood, rights, and the common good.
What is Happiness?
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“I am the founder of Pro-Business Against Greed. I was managing director of a public company, Greggs the bakers, for 24 years. I believe in taking a long-term view – building a business for the benefit of consumers, employees and shareholders – and being of benefit to society as a whole. For me, this is the moral and sensible justification for business's existence in our civilisation. Unfortunately, this view of business has been largely undermined by the growth in excessive rewards and greed – the "because I'm worth it" attitude.”…
'If executive pay halved, it would still be generous' - Pro-Business Against Greed
The former chief executive of Greggs tells why he has pledged to use his retirement to fight excessive boardroom pay
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Despite being the home of one of the world's most ancient civilisations and cultures, very sadly today modern Iran is one of the world's most misunderstood countries. The significant contribution of this great civilisation to the progressive development of science, technology, arts, architecture, literature, poetry and human rights (The Cyrus the Great Cylinder) and more cannot be over emphasised. Therefore, this confusion and misunderstanding is indeed tragic for all concerned. It goes without saying that a better understanding of Iran and Iranians is an essential pre-requisite for more harmonious international relations and the dialogue of civilisations for the common good.
For a A- Z of Persia and modern Iran, see:
The A-Z of Iran: part I and II
The New Statesman’s A-Z guide to the Islamic Republic of Iran — a complex nation’s rich history, culture, economy and politics:
http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/world-affairs/2012/06/z-iran-part-1
The Cyrus the Great Cylinder
The Cyrus the Great Cylinder is the first charter of right of nations in the world. It is a baked-clay cyliner in Akkadian language with cuneiform script. In 1971, the Cyrus Cylinder was described as the world’s first charter of human rights and it was translated into all six official U.N. languages. A replica of the cylinder is kept at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in the second floor hallway, between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council chambers. Passages in the text of cylinder have been interpreted as expressing Cyrus’ respect for humanity, and as promoting a form of religious tolerance and freedom; and as result of his generous and humane policies, Cyrus gained the overwhelming support of his subjects.
Read more: The Cyrus the Great Cylinder
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