Curated By David Christopher Marino
Pope Francis has set a very different tone than recent Popes. His values shape this ten step recipe for cultivating happiness. These steps require personal and communal awareness to create an authentic and happy life.
Let Everyone Be Themselves
The Replacements once sang, "You be me for a while...and I'll be you." Empathetically understanding another person and seeing their perspective is what allows us to follow the Roman credo, "Campa e lascia campà", which translates into Live and let live.
Enjoy the classic Replacements hit that reminds us to stop worrying about everyone else and just be you.
or as we say in Oakland, "You do you."
Be Generous
Be as giving as you can - by being generous you keep your ego in check.
Walk Softly (Keep Calm)
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.
Have a Healthy Sense of Leisure
The Pope said “consumerism has brought us anxiety” and Clark Griswold understood this back in 1983 when he decided to take time away from a life of anxiety and distraction and instead explore the United States together - while cramped in a station wagon.
Sunday Is Your Fun-day
Spend Sunday's with family and friends, rather than working. Take time to be with people you love. Even God took Sunday off.
Work toward Empowering Young People
The pope discussed the need to find creative ways to help young people secure employment so that they may feel the “dignity of bringing home the bacon.” The Pope explained, “We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs and be more vulnerable to suicide."
Care for the Environment
The Pope could have taken a more religious tone and accused humans of not respecting a gift of nature from God, but instead approaches it logically and scientifically. The Pope said, “I think a question that we’re not asking ourselves is: ‘Isn’t humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?’”
Stop Being Negative
The Pope explains, “Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, ‘I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down. Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy.”
Pope Francis encouraged finding ways to more quickly move forward after negative experiences. Forgiveness is key for this, as is having the willingness to let the next moment be better than the last.
Respect Each Other and Opinions
The Pope explains, “We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyses: ‘I am talking with you in order to persuade you,’ No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity."
Give Peace a Chance
What do John Lennon and Pope Francis have in common? They both understood the importance of shifting our world view from war being acceptable to instead giving peace a chance.
The Pope explaine“We are living in a time of many wars and 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."