Pope Francis’ ten keys to happiness

Of course there are many lists of 10 keys to happiness. But this one comes from Pope Francis.

Edward Pentin, Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register writes Pope Francis has given a 10-point plan for happiness, which includes giving oneself to others, spending Sundays with family, helping unemployed youth find work and letting others “live and let live.”

The list was drawn from an interview of Pablo Calvo with Pope Francis  to mark the first 500 days of Francis’ pontificate.

He wrote that the Pope readily gave a 10-point recipe for happiness: “The Romans have a saying, which can be taken as a point of reference,” the Pope said. “They say: Campa e lascia campà (Live and let live). That’s the first step to peace and happiness.”

He then went on to list the other nine, the next being “giving oneself to others.”

“If one gets tired,” he said, “one runs the risk of being egoistic, and stagnant water is the first to be corrupted.

Third, he proposed that one “move quietly” and cited the Argentine novel Don Segundo Sombra, written by Argentine poet and novelist Ricardo Güiraldes. In Don Segundo Sombra, there is a very beautiful thing, a man who looks back on his life, the Pope says.

In his youth, the protagonist was a rocky stream that ran over everything, but as he became older, he was a running river and in old age was “quietly peaceful.” The Pope said the elderly have the wisdom to move with “kindness and humility” and have the “calmness of life.” He also repeated his concern that a people who doesn’t take care of its elderly “has no future.”

Fourth, the Pope advocated playing with children and the importance of a healthy culture of leisure, reading and enjoying art. “Consumerism has led to the anxiety of losing” this culture, he said.
Francis then recalled that when he was in Buenos Aires he would often ask young mothers how often they play with their children. “It was an unexpected question,” he said. “It is hard. The parents go to work and come back when the children are asleep.” But he said that, although it is difficult to find the time, “it must be done.”

Fifth, the Pope stressed the importance of sharing Sundays with family. He recalled that on his recent visit to Campobasso in southern Italy, the workers did not want to work on Sundays.
Sixth, he said helping young people find employment is a key to happiness.

For the remaining 5 visit http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-top-10-list-for-happiness/

Some might surprise you.

 

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Tags: Happiness, Pope