Vol 19 - Apr 2009
A letter from the Coordinator
A few weeks ago, as I was driving home after a particularly busy day at the office, listening quietly to Beethoven’s marvellous Pastoral Symphony, when suddenly a low-slung ‘souped-up’ double muffler car with a red P plate attached, roared past and cut in front of me without using his indicator. I had to brake suddenly to avoid crashing into him.
My peaceful reverie was shattered as I angrily tooted my horn and furiously shook my fist at the young ‘smart aleck’ in front of me. He responded with the usual obscene gestures and sped off.
I resisted the temptation to chase him. As my anger slowly subsided, I became aware of the music on the CD playing the final movement of the Pastoral Symphony, which evokes cheerfulness and gratitude after the passing of a storm.
That night, I reflected on the near miss and my reaction. Anger is a very human reaction we all experience. What makes me angry may be different from what makes you angry. But what is certain, when we do give in to anger, we lose our serenity and peace of mind.
Having thought about what makes me angry, I turned my mind to the question: What makes me happy? Certainly, simple things like sharing meals with my extended family – my work here at the House of Welcome, especially meeting with new arrivals and quiet time for reflection and reading. All these make me happy.
What makes you happy? It is an important question. So important, that a two-day conference is being held in Sydney in May entitled: Happiness and Its Causes: Tools and Techniques for a Happier Life.
Experts from all over the world have been invited to speak on a range of topics in a very crowded schedule. The topics include: “Happiness of a Simpler Lifestyle”, posing the questions: Can we ‘have it all’ – and if so – what does ‘having it all’ look like? (Think of the frantic, screaming advertisements of Harvey Norman for bigger, better electronic and household goods. As though we must have them all and we cannot be happy without them. Really?)
Another conference topic which caught my eye was: “Inspiring Children to Have Happy, Meaningful Lives”. This talk explores what role books can provide us in developing emotional understanding and ethical and moral values in children.
In an age where TV, the internet, mobile phones, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and now, Twitter, are so pervasive and time consuming, that there is a real danger that the importance of reading books will be lost. While some of these fads may provide brief satisfaction, very few offer the happiness that books can provide for us from childhood to old age.
We know the difference between junk food and good home-cooked meals to build healthy bodies. Good food for our minds is equally important. Help your children to become readers of good books and you give them a source of happiness that will last a lifetime.
I offer you these thoughts because the cost for the Happiness Conference is $1,525, which puts it out of reach for you and me. This makes me sad, not happy. However genuine happiness has no price.
With warm regards,
Jim Carty
My peaceful reverie was shattered as I angrily tooted my horn and furiously shook my fist at the young ‘smart aleck’ in front of me. He responded with the usual obscene gestures and sped off.
I resisted the temptation to chase him. As my anger slowly subsided, I became aware of the music on the CD playing the final movement of the Pastoral Symphony, which evokes cheerfulness and gratitude after the passing of a storm.
That night, I reflected on the near miss and my reaction. Anger is a very human reaction we all experience. What makes me angry may be different from what makes you angry. But what is certain, when we do give in to anger, we lose our serenity and peace of mind.
Having thought about what makes me angry, I turned my mind to the question: What makes me happy? Certainly, simple things like sharing meals with my extended family – my work here at the House of Welcome, especially meeting with new arrivals and quiet time for reflection and reading. All these make me happy.
What makes you happy? It is an important question. So important, that a two-day conference is being held in Sydney in May entitled: Happiness and Its Causes: Tools and Techniques for a Happier Life.
Experts from all over the world have been invited to speak on a range of topics in a very crowded schedule. The topics include: “Happiness of a Simpler Lifestyle”, posing the questions: Can we ‘have it all’ – and if so – what does ‘having it all’ look like? (Think of the frantic, screaming advertisements of Harvey Norman for bigger, better electronic and household goods. As though we must have them all and we cannot be happy without them. Really?)
Another conference topic which caught my eye was: “Inspiring Children to Have Happy, Meaningful Lives”. This talk explores what role books can provide us in developing emotional understanding and ethical and moral values in children.
In an age where TV, the internet, mobile phones, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and now, Twitter, are so pervasive and time consuming, that there is a real danger that the importance of reading books will be lost. While some of these fads may provide brief satisfaction, very few offer the happiness that books can provide for us from childhood to old age.
We know the difference between junk food and good home-cooked meals to build healthy bodies. Good food for our minds is equally important. Help your children to become readers of good books and you give them a source of happiness that will last a lifetime.
I offer you these thoughts because the cost for the Happiness Conference is $1,525, which puts it out of reach for you and me. This makes me sad, not happy. However genuine happiness has no price.
With warm regards,
Jim Carty
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