The Pope’s 10 Tips for a Happier Life
Pope Francis weighs in on how we can all bring more joy to our lives.
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“Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.” —Alice Walker |
Pope Francis’s Secret Recipe for Happiness
We all want more joy in our lives. That is part of human nature. Pope Francis has listed these ten tips to help bring everyone to a happier life. Slowing down, caring for others and nature, working for peace are all part of the plan. Works for me!
1. Live and Let Live
Everyone should be guided by this principle, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, “Move forward and let others do the same.” 2. Be Giving of Yourself to Others
People need to be open and generous toward others, because “if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid.” 3. Proceed Calmly in Life
The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist, gaucho Don Segundo Sombra, looks back on how he lived his life. “…in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool of water.” The Pope says he likes this image of a pool of still water—to have the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life. 4. A Healthy Sense of Leisure
The pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children have been lost, the Pope said. Consumerism has brought us only anxiety. Parents, even though they may work long hours, should:
5. Sundays Should Be Holidays
Workers should have Sundays off because “Sunday is for family”. 6. Create Jobs for Young People
Find innovative ways to create dignified work for young people. We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs and be more vulnerable to suicide. It's not enough to give them food. Dignity is attained when you can bring food home from one's own labor. 7. Respect and Take Care of Nature
Environmental degradation is one of the biggest challenges we have. The Pope says, “I think a question that we’re not asking ourselves is: ‘Isn’t humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?’” 8. Stop Being Negative
Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. It’s like saying, “I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down.” Letting go of negative things quickly is a healthy practice. 9. Don’t Proselytise—Respect Others’ Beliefs
We can inspire others through witness so that we grow together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyses communication: ‘I am talking with you in order to persuade you.’ No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing. 10. Work for Peace
We are living in a time of many wars. The call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive and dynamic. |
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The Pope’s advice helps you work towards happiness. These ten tips were some of the suggestions mentioned by Pope Francis in an interview published in part in the Argentine weekly "Viva" July 27, 2015.
Learn fun and interesting things that you can do to make yourself happier in the Simple10s article How to Be Happy. You may also be interested in misconceptions that people have about happiness in the Simple10s article Happiness If-Onlys. |
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