Dr. Sebastian Purcell
The Happiness Researcher
Photo by David Matos on Unsplash
Everything can be taken from a man, but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way- Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning.
Dr. Sebastian Purcell holds the title of Happiness Researcher for a reason. He even offers a class called “Happiness.” As Interim Chair of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Cortland, his work is well-renowned, as he analyzes the practices of Stoicism in both Greek and Aztec cultures. And I am stumped.
“We don’t want happy lives,” he contends, “we want worthwhile lives.” While some pursue happiness to no avail, Dr. Purcell suggests a worthwhile life is a practice where one must let go of outcomes and respond to challenges wisely.
The Happiness Researcher’s philosophy mixes principles of Stoicism and Aztec culture. And if you indulge him, he will break down for you, in the most concise terms, how to live a worthy life.
Dr. Purcell proclaims that people would rather live a worthy life than a happy one. This recurring theme remains omnipresent in all his articles. He provides examples and applications of this theory that make it hard to refute.
For example, he asks his students how many would like to have children. They flock to answer yes. However, he explains that statistics indicate that having children decreases the likelihood of being happy. Persistent in nature, he asks again if his students would like to have children. The majority of the students maintain that they will continue to have children anyway.
In his article “The Aztecs and Stoics Explain How to Gain Happiness (Even While Losing Daily Joys)” Dr. Purcell outlines best practices to achieve happiness, however fleeting, of the Aztecs with ease by convincing the reader to bypass their own beliefs and be willing to think freely.
He emphasizes to gain happiness, one must interrupt the inner dialogue of which we all concede. “According to researchers, the key is that those of advanced age (usually) have learned to interrupt their thoughts better than the young.” As we age, our bones ache, our vision blurs and our minds become less lucid. However, research shows that this group accepts their challenges and focuses on what the day may bring despite the hurdles of growing older.
In my own life, I had ten major surgeries in ten years, beginning at 33 years of age. I cried I complained, I laid in bed for days, and my life held no purpose. Through time, I began to get up and meet each day with tenacity.
My chronic pain would not go away, but I began to live a life of my own choosing, independent of my belief my life would be free of physical pain. Allowing my belief to fall to the wayside expanded my perspective and enabled me to respond to what was within my reach. Qqq
If I could not physically move around, I realized I could write. Of course, my heart’s passion was to be an author. However, fear of judgment left me paralyzed. Except, I had nothing left to lose anymore. Every single part of my soul screamed out to be heard. So I did the unexpected: I exposed all my vulnerabilities to the world. And as Dr. Purcell suggests, happiness will follow when a person frees themselves from other people’s point of view of them.
When I took the action of exposing my shame and vulnerabilities, I was at a point where I literally could not go on another day hiding behind the façade of social acceptability. And on the other side of fear, freedom abounded. Plus, my pain dissipated, and my life became worthwhile.
For Dr. Purcell, a worthwhile life far surpassed the short-term pleasures of being liked and admired. To gain such a life, the Aztec’s mindset differed vastly from our present-day life. For them, the universe became an integral part of their way of being. There was no separation. Everything had life. And in that life, one must find a balance between pain and joy, night and day, love and hate, and life and death. All aspects of life carry opposing forces, and by accepting this notion, happiness may become a byproduct. But a life worthwhile will surely be lived. Pain is not the outcome; only the interpretations of outcomes cause the pain.
This is where my dilemma became evident. I firmly believed in the concepts Dr. Purcell promoted. However, at the same time, I felt intimidated by his work, the subject, and what others would think of what I had written. Therefore, I am writing about a topic that genuinely resonates with me, and at the same time, I struggled in my world, searching for happiness through external means.
Photo by Mike Rexels on Unsplash
But then my struggle became my answer. I must balance the Stoic side of myself while continuing to exist in a world where my worth is connected to other people’s perceptions.
This may not be the Aztec’s idea of balance, but it touches on the same principle. And when I find myself juxtaposed between these worlds, I am in flow. Once again, I am in the moment, living life on life’s terms.
Mesmerized by Dr. Purcell’s article, “The Hardest Stoic Spiritual Exercise and Why It’s Crucial for Happiness,” his words bounced off the page, and I knew he was right.
“If you want to live a good life, then you need to be relatively unconcerned with other people’s opinions…”
Of course, I wanted to lead a good life, but I really never questioned why. Dr. Purcell proclaims that there are two reasons why one must be unconcerned:
1. If a person is consumed by what others think, they will try to live the life they believe others want them to live.
2. A person will end up playing a game of focusing on being recognized by others, and the outcome will be that, eventually, someone else will replace you.
Attempting to orchestrate my reputation to match what is acceptable did not work, even when I made an effort. Therefore, I gave up. However, the idea of being recognized became a metaphoric carrot dangling in front of the recognition that I chased. The problem is that there will always be someone bigger and better than me who will fill my spot when I become less relevant.
Therefore, Dr. Purcell suggests that one must endure a life of vulnerability — a life that is chosen independently of social norms and must be practiced daily. For instance, when I was seventeen, I loved the song by Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here.” It is a song that reflects much of the philosophy Dr. Purcell promotes. The song emphasizes duality and begs the listener to answer.
“Did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange
A walk-on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?”
As I grew older, the way I answered that question became a recurring theme throughout my life. Well, I am older now, and my answer is that “no,” I did not compromise my principles to please others. And for me, that made me realize I have led a worthwhile life.
“To practice social vulnerability, the main thing you need to do is learn not to be trapped by social categories and expectations of them,” Dr. Purcell maintains.
Yet, writing this article disrupted my ability to think freely despite my need for approval. Therefore, a worthwhile life may not be about living up to the examples of Stoic philosophies perfectly but rather working towards them in all my affairs.
There are so many more parts of Stoicism to mention. I encourage everyone to read the works of Dr. Purcell Although, the subjects are complex. His ability to break it down into simple actions becomes a catalyst for breaking free from his prior belief system.
Actions, not thinking. Precede behavior change. Whereas the effectiveness of trying to think one’s way out of a problem is not possible if the problem resides in one’s mind.
I am calm now. Writing about Dr. Purcell allowed me to see the edges of my character I was unwilling to see. If one does not own one’s imitations, then overcoming one’s limitations becomes impossible. Therefore, remember to start where you are and not where you wish you were. You will get to nowhere until you do.
Reading the work of Dr. Sebastian Purcell is an excellent starting point for leading a worthwhile life and may even contribute to your happiness.
