A Storehouse Of Happiness

A Storehouse of Happiness

It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor.

Proverbs 14:21

Happiness is the theme of a wonderful fable about a young girl and a butterfly. The girl was walking through a meadow one day when she saw a butterfly impaled on a thorn. She gently freed the butterfly from its snare, and it flew off a short distance. Suddenly, the butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. “For your kindness,” said the fairy to the little girl, “I will grant your fondest wish.” The little girl thought about this carefully. After a moment she replied, “I want to be happy,” for this little girl had been alone and unloved. The fairy leaned toward her, whispered in her ear, and vanished.

True to the fairy’s word, as the girl grew up, no one in the land was happier than she. But whenever anyone asked her the secret of her great happiness, she would only smile and say, “I listened to a good fairy.”

As she grew old, the neighbors were afraid the marvelous secret might die with her. “Tell us, please,” they begged, “tell us what the fairy said to make you so happy.” The girl, a lovely old lady by then, smiled and said, “She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seem, has need of me.”

It’s true. When we embrace the fact that we can be helpful to everyone—especially to the loves of our lives—life gets easier. Of course, some will argue that this is not the secret to happiness but to misery. These people have never experienced the joy of being needed.

If you’re not inclined to hear this message from an ancient fairy tale, take it from science. Dr. Hans Selye, a world-renowned endocrinologist, stands on a mountain of research when he proclaims that the happiest people are those who win the gratitude of people around them. Selye adapted the biblical principle to “Love thy neighbor as thyself” as “Earn thy neighbor’s love.” Rather than trying to accumulate more money or power, he suggested we acquire goodwill by helping others. “Hoard goodwill,” Dr. Selye advised, “and your house will be a storehouse of happiness.”^a

How can you earn the goodwill of your spouse today?

If you want to live a long life, focus on making contributions.

—Hans Selye

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