Finding Happiness

What makes us happy, as individuals and as a civilisation? An opportunity to rethink and rechoose our path for the sake of your own happiness and humanity's. In the conversation, Tami Yaari will share a few major experiences she had around the world, in different cultures, and the lessons she learned from them. An inspiring, open-minded talk that you will surely find yourself in.

Transcript

Dearest friends, This is Tami Ari and the Angels. It's so nice to have a meaningful chat with you again. Welcome. If we look at our lives that are very different from each other, Yet all of us look for happiness. This is a very meaningful observation. All of us as human beings, We look for happiness. We want to be happy. The difference between many of us is what we tell ourselves about what will make us happy. And since what we actually look for is happiness, It's a good idea to stop and give it a good thinking, To contemplate, To look deeply, To try to understand better what makes our lives happy. Have you ever gave it a thought? Maybe now it's the best opportunity to do so. In my early 20s, I had a calling to fly to India. I grew up in Israel and already before, I traveled in Europe several times with my family mainly. And even then, I noticed that these travels outside of my safety zone and what I knew and was very common for my mind, Were an extraordinary experiences for me. It completely opened my mind, My heart and soul. Spirit. Yet, Traveling to a totally different continent, Culture, And what I will call, Later on, A different planet, Truly changed my life. And one of the things that repeated itself all through the years after being many, Many times in India, Was people's reaction when I mentioned India, Saying, Oh, How can you deal with the suffering you're exposed to in India? Or, I'm not sure I can go to India because of the suffering that I'm about to be exposed to. For me, It was totally different. What I experienced in India is a much more relaxed, Deep, Present culture. I met many, Many more happy people, Smiling people, People that are available for a talk, For communication, Eye communication, A smile, A gesture, Things that I hardly met in the West. In India, I found myself happier and more connected to myself than ever before. When I was in India, Looking at the West, I thought to myself that most of the people that I was surrounded with all through my life were very nervous, Aggressive, And miserable. I began to explore more deeply what is happiness. Actually, Even years before, Been privileged to visit several times in Sinai, Where I met the Bedouins, The local tribe, That were so deeply connected to the desert, To another space and time. Already then, Something in me recognized their happiness, I would say. They looked more content, More present than the people I was surrounded with in the West. Even though the Bedouins had hardly nothing in terms of material, They lived in very simple huts or tents. And I would say the same about the many people that I met in India. Many of them had hardly anything in terms of material. And I'm not saying that that was a source of their happiness. What is actually going on here in life? What is a source of happiness? The other thing that I've noticed luckily from a young age is that I'm happy with animals and surely in nature. I found myself more and more spending time by myself in nature, Feeling extremely connected, Relaxed, Sensing the magic in life. Along the years, I had the privilege to visit many more countries, And in each of them, I could sense that as a culture, A sense of happiness or unhappiness was sensed in the air, I would say, As a cultural color that I was influenced by only by being next to the people of this culture. Spending some time in New Zealand, For example, Influenced my openness, My connection to nature, And my friendliness. Suddenly I could sense my inner being more friendly. And it was a kind of change for me as someone who was raised in the Middle East. The Middle East was always filled with aggression, Fear. You could hardly sense it. Sense yourself as a happy and relaxed being. And above all, I was in a shock when I arrived to Uganda, Africa, Where I sense the happiest beings ever, Even though so very poor in the resources they have in their homes and their daily lives. Neighborhood after neighborhood, Village after village, Mud houses with no electricity, No water, No furniture, Hardly any clothes and no toys. People, Children, Women welcomed us with a smile and shining eyes, Dancing, Singing. My children and I were totally overwhelmed by a difference. Civilization altogether that present a different level of happiness. As a person who's looking for happiness day by day, Just like all of us, And also as someone who's really concerned for humanity's future. It is impossible not to recognize that the amount of worry, Stress, Violence, Loneliness that we gathered around Earth and in the modern civilization is a true calling to rethink about our lives. How come such a most beautiful nature, Mother Earth, Has turned under our hands to a miserable place? It is surely the time for us to rethink about happiness, Since if we don't recognize correctly what makes us happy, This is one of the reasons we destroy our own heaven and lives, For ourselves and for Mother Earth. Travelers tend to gather their own wisdom. Wisdom of the way. Traveler's wisdom. And one of the things I've learned through the years as a traveler, A world traveler, Is that giving is a source of great happiness. Give something. And giving doesn't require truly to be rich financially. Actually, In my early 20s, I was awakened to the true sense of giving in India when I noticed how many times beautiful people, Generous and kind, Wanted to give me something, Even though they had so much less than me in their pockets. As a traveler, I learned the art of giving and receiving, Which is a great source of joy. Give your presence, Give a smile, Receive a smile, Communicate with someone. This connection is a great source of loneliness, And loneliness can lead also to violence, To destruction, To misunderstanding of life. Some laid-back countries has opened my eyes to the importance of knowing how to live together. In some cultures, You can see many, Many people share small spaces. While in other cultures, You see very few people live in huge spaces. And I'm not sure it makes them more happy. Each other's presence and we have to learn how to live together. The connection to animals is so clearly a great source of happiness. You may see a small child, An infant, Next to an animal, Shining of joy. I remember myself as a small child, Seeing the miracle of our dog at home giving birth to puppies. And the memory is still with me today as one of the strongest emotional impacts I had in my childhood. So many people and families and also lonely people have a dog or a cat in their home and they see them as a family member and love them dearly. Sometimes these connections are of the most meaningful connections we have in our lives. In a very young age, Luckily I noticed that taking care of even a little piece of garden made me very happy, Very connected. Gardening, Whether it is watering the flowers that I planted or raising some vegetables, Such a simple activity can make you so happy. And then my life's work, The connection I've discovered to the spirit, To the soul, To our multidimensional existence. Sharing that with others, My skills and my life's mission, Is a very deep source of happiness to me. And I'm sure it's the same for other people. If you can share with others what you're here for, Your own piece of wisdom in the puzzle of humanity, It is surely a very important part of your happiness. Next, I discovered that almost any kind of creativity fills your life with happiness. Cook something, Bake something, Or draw in, Sketch in, Or create in a piece of music. All of these and many more, Creativity is a great source of communicating with the depth of our being. We're connected to the Creator when we allow ourselves to be creative. I always have the feeling that conquering other people, Other lands, Trying to overrule others, Gaining extremely more than what you need, Somehow connected to this happiness, Or a misunderstanding of happiness. I'm sure that the more evolved we become, More spiritual, So to say, The more we care for the happiness of humanity in general and Mother Earth. We care for the happiness which is bigger than our own happiness as individuals. I truly have the sense that each time a dolphin is killed or a whale in the ocean, Somehow my own happiness is being hurt, That my own happiness is connected to the happiness of life itself, Of this planet. And most probably we're not aware of that most of the time. How interconnected we are. When we look at the present moment and the future time, I suggest that we imagine the happiest nature, Life and humanity that we can imagine. I suggest that we connect already to the happiest being we can be, As individuals as well, And then, Inspired by that vision, We take the next step, And the next step, And the next step. I have the feeling that some civilizations and nations and companies and leaders move out of despair. They hardly believe anymore in the greatness of our lives and that we are in a transformation towards a harmonious life. They move out of a panic. But that is not our case. We know that we are very powerful creators. If we connect the present moment to a glorious future, Then that what will happen. I suggest that you take some time and even write it down what are the sources of your happiness. And surely to allow yourself to be who you are, What you love, What you like, Give it a full intimation will be in the center of your essay. Does it matter? Some people wonder if one person can affect the world. And I say, Why won't you believe in the butterfly effect? You are a butterfly, Find your happiness. And God knows what legacy and power it has on the happiness of life itself. Thank you for listening. With love, Tamiya Ari and the Angels.