The ‘How to’ of Being Happy

Published in Living Now Magazine Dec 2014

"The problem of determining surely and universally which action would promote happiness of a rational being is completely insoluble… happiness is not an ideal of reason but of the imagination.”

Immanuel Kant

If you’ve ever studied ethics in any form you have most likely come up against Immanuel Kant, German Philosopher and key figure in the creation of Universalist ethical thinking and author of the dreaded ‘categorical imperative’…

Kant would have us believe, as noted above, that the application of the rational mind to the pursuit of happiness is a futile exercise due to the irrational nature of happiness. Duly noted… but are there some things that we can ‘do’ to help us release the magical Genie out of the bottle and help us on our way to happiness?

This is not a be all and end all post on happiness – many books and theses have been written on the subject – rather it’s an observation from someone who has struggled with happiness and seen others struggle, sometimes to the point of despai…