Here’s a joke my daughter recently told me: person 1 – “When a giraffe drinks a cup of coffee, the coffee gets cold by the time it reaches the bottom of its neck. Do you ever think about that?”; person 2 – “No”; person 1 – “And that’s just it isn’t it – you only think about yourself.”

Well that’s the humour done with. Now on to the subject of Happiness. Back in May of last year I can remember writing about a survey that had been undertaken by the government, asking which jobs make you happy. Being a member of the clergy came out tops, whereas the toil of the pub landlord came out bottom in the overall ratings. The survey was all part of the government’s initiative to promote wellbeing within the nation, I guess seeking to steer people in particular career directions or perhaps (and more importantly) identifying those jobs which need some help. Alongside the jobs, another government survey in 2012 sought to identify the happiest areas to live in the UK, with the northerly Scottish Isles fairing pretty well, while inner London and (for some reason) Leicestershire are amongst the bottom rankings.

Happiness and wellbeing probably feature on most people’s agenda, and yet another press article recently caught my eye on the BBC News website – “A Point of View: The Pursuit of Happiness” by AL Kennedy, a writer and performer. The article delves into the scenes observed last November on Black Friday, where UK retailers followed the American practice of offering large discounts the day after their Thanksgiving celebrations. The term Black Friday was originally coined in America, where the police in Philadelphia began to use it to describe the disruption that accompanied the frenzied approach to the sales. The scenes here in the UK last November probably lived up to the term, as people literally fought over discounted TV sets and other “bargains”. I remember one radio news item where a lady said she had gone into a store to get a TV, but when she found they had sold out she bought a Dyson, and then went on to say that she didn’t even know if she wanted a Dyson!

The main thrust of AL Kennedy’s article is that people often pursue happiness through what they own or can buy, and while there may be a sense of excitement that can be generated through possessions, they rarely lead to lasting happiness. And then, midway through the article, a recent study from Yale University is quoted, which highlighted that capuchin monkeys will share food and favours (presumably dealing with mites in fur, and so forth) without keeping track of who did what for whom. This selfless behaviour seemingly led to positive interactions amongst monkey friends and strangers – as the author put it, “an atmosphere of monkey happiness”. A further study of primary school children showed that those who performed acts of kindness towards others had more friends, more fun and felt happier than those who chose to do things which only pleased themselves.

If you’ve ever done some sacrificial action or work which serves others, without looking for return, you perhaps know the feeling of satisfaction it can bring – not a self-serving satisfaction in terms of “look how good I am”, but more a sense of simple happiness and wellbeing. Jesus often spoke of dying to self and serving others, loving your neighbour as yourself, and thinking of others as being more important. This is not to say that Christians become doormats for others to figuratively walk all over, but it does describe an attitude and way of life which, when pursued, ultimately brings deep happiness and wellbeing. And you don’t have to go anywhere near the shops.

Coffee getting cold by the time it reaches the bottom of a giraffe’s neck? Suddenly the punchline has added meaning.

Tony Stephens