I thought I had a pretty good understanding of what it means to be happy. But Elder Quentin L. Cook recently taught something that changed how I think about happiness. I haven’t thought about Heavenly Father’s “great plan of happiness” in the same way since.
What Happiness Really Means
In a video released last month, Elder Cook and President D. Todd Christofferson discussed the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution, as well as the “significant underlying principles found in each.” They taught that “these underlying principles have relevance not only for the United States and its citizens but for the world.”
The Apostles touched on the meaning of the following phrase, which is one of the most famous sentences from the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Elder Cook pointed out that the emphasis on protecting life and liberty is well-understood, while the concept of the pursuit of happiness “has been difficult for some to understand.”
Then came his quote that redefined happiness for me:
“When the founders defined the pursuit of happiness as an inalienable right, what did happiness mean at that time? ... Some scholars have brought forth compelling evidence that the founders understood the pursuit of happiness as being a quest for being good, not just feeling good. It meant the pursuit of lifelong virtues, not short-term pleasure.”
Now I better understand happiness as a meaningful quest rather than a temporary feeling, which President Christofferson clarified is a crucial distinction. And when it comes to happiness, drawing the right conclusions is important.
Why This Definition Matters
If we think about the gospel’s promise of happiness as simply a guarantee of pleasure and ease, we are going to become frustrated.
Brother Brad Wilcox, former counselor in the Young Men general presidency, once shared that while speaking at a large youth event in Portland, Oregon, he received the following question card: “If this is called the plan of happiness, then why am I so miserable? #FalseAdvertising.”
Brother Wilcox’s response is inspiring:
“I testified to those youth in Portland that it is not. Latter-day Saints are unique among Christians because we understand that God did not create the world with the goal for us all to live forever in the Garden of Eden. …
“Mortality was meant to be a school—complete with hard teachers and difficult tests. God made suffering a required course in life, but growth had to be an elective.
“God’s plan is called the plan of happiness not because everything is perfectly happy but because it is how we are happily perfected.”
How We Live Happily
I now see a popular verse from the Book of Mormon in a new light. In 2 Nephi 5:27 says,
“And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.”
Perhaps that verse isn’t meant to depict people who never had any real problems. Surely the precious struggles of mortality were not removed for the Nephites. Instead, they must have been on the quest to be good, not just feel good. They lived in the pursuit of lifelong virtues, not short-term pleasure. Interestingly, Nephi writes that he encouraged his people to “be industrious, and to labor with their hands,” suggesting that hard work and happiness go hand in hand.
When choosing to be good becomes our goal—and we invite the Savior to help us—we can live “after the manner of happiness.” And that pursuit is the most fulfilling one of all.
More article for you:
▶ Why Andy Reid says conducting the Tabernacle Choir was one of the highlights of his life
▶ Feel like you can’t do enough? This comforting scripture detail is for you
▶ How I stopped worshipping a false God
