Elvenoaks Concepts

Elvenoaks Concepts

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Higher Learning and happiness

"Happiness" in modern American culture is usually associated with money or products. These are certainly the images we see in the media every day. Though we say money can't buy happiness, it sure doesn't look that way.

For others, "happiness" is associated with abstract concepts like "love" or "family" or "friends." Here, happiness is more metaphysical or spiritual.

Whether associated with more things or more love, happiness must be supported to be sustained. What that means is that the work a person puts into getting the money or keeping the friends must be rewarded with benefits that make the work worth it.

For example, if a person thinks that money buys happiness, they may be willing to work 70 to 75 hours a week to earn a comfortable wage, but there must be some time to enjoy that effort, to spend that money on things. If the work becomes too complex, if they can't manage to balance life, the happiness vanishes.

Or another example: if a person thinks family creates happiness, they may be willing to work very hard keeping that family together. But if the complexity of communicating and compromising becomes too overwhelming, if there are no moments to feel comfortable with that family, that happiness will vanish.

In other words, the effort (added complexity) must be balanced with rewards (added efficiency) to create enjoyment (happy "times").

Learning, then, is a process of giving effort to receive rewards, and it occurs every day in life. It is not just limited to the classroom. The challenge of higher learning is the challenge of balancing the complexity of subject and course demands through efficient time management.

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