On Life 60 – Happiness – January 10, 2017

   Every human being seeks happiness. Yet, during this quest, one might find it or lose it. However, happiness has keys which we discover as move on. Among these: Happiness can never exist in a heart full of hatred, a brain full of worry, and a soul that does not give.

   Hatred destroys the person who nurses it: for it makes him far from God. When we are far from God, then we take the path of death. In fact, the living do not hate. Hatred is animosity toward the other: be it for a reason he knows or not. Likewise, it is a negative feeling that is considered burdensome to whoever lives with it. Martin Luther King, Jr., says, “I have to decided to cling to love: for hatred is so heavy a burden that I cannot carry it.” Indeed, if one’s heart if full of hatred, he cannot bear life’s simplest issues. To him, life stops at the person he hates. He cannot go a step further. Likewise, his mind stops for it is preoccupied with contriving to hurt him. Hence, it becomes unable to create anything. Therefore, hatred negatively affects man’s life because:

   First, it makes him lose happiness, and fills his life with sadness and frustration.

   Second, it wastes his feelings on negative matters: for it fills a person’s mind with blame and search for others’ mistakes.

   Moreover, it causes physical problems like hypertension, headache, and many dangerous ailments. It is easy to hate; but it is difficult to love! Indeed, edifying is quite difficult as it requires a lot of effort and diligence to be achieved, unlike demolition which does not need the least effort. Whoever nurses hatred cannot reach anything. Rather, he loses his goals, others, and, before all, his self and humanity.

   Life is too short to be spent on hatred. All of us will be but memories of which the good and loving remain. Forgive those who hurt you and make your life a song of love, not a scream of hatred. If you want to eliminate others’ hatred for you, offer them more love: for, “hatred does not quench hatred; only love does. You can only overcome hatred by love.”

Here I recall the poet’s words:

Let life do what it pleases

Be happy if God desires

Be not sad for any occurrence

for nothing at all endures

Be patient to bear disasters

with patience and faithfulness

In like manner happiness is lost by hatred, it is negatively affected by worry. We shall continue…

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center