Save yourself!

When we say this, we do not refer to Christian salvation which Christ gained for us, and which will be consummated in eternity. Rather, we understand this phrase in its popular sense of sparing oneself from fear, from anguish, from tedium, and from suffering…

You must be convinced that every human being is a bearer of immense capabilities that, in normal circumstances, may be quite asleep. But once they are awakened and put into action, the human being can do much more than imagined. Therefore, one has to begin by believing in oneself and in one’s capacity to “save” oneself.

My friend, we only live once. The banquet of life is not offered once again, nor can we regress to infancy in order to begin the adventure once again. Like I already said, the greatest misfortune that may befall you is to perceive that existence is dripping through your fingers without having tasted the honey of living. It is worthwhile to dedicate your greatest efforts to the task of tasks which is to banish from your vital space the enemies of life: suffering and sadness.

You must begin, therefore, with yourself; the important part is yourself. Be happy and your brethren will be filled with joy. This is what we propose: that you dry up one after the other the sources of suffering and in doing so, your threshold for happiness will rise and you will live again. Just being alive, just so, produces already a feeling of happiness. Then, the expansive force of this joy of living will launch you towards your fellow humans with the colors of springtime and concrete commitments.

Extracted from the book “The Art of Being Happy” by Father Ignacio Larrañaga