I wrote this paper in 2010 for a religion class at Georgetown (thank you, USB drives!). I think it brings up some good points and thoughts!

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.”

— Walt Whitman

Because I firmly believe that and individual's thinking and perception about a situation or circumstance has a huge impact on how that situation or circumstance turns out, either for better or for worse, William James' chapter on “The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness” in The Varieties of Religious Experience had the greatest impact on my thinking of religion. What I think is so unique about this religious view is that if an individual fully believes in it and works to implement it in their life, they will find that their life has improved for the better.

One quality that all humans, whether rich, poor, young, or old, desire is to be happy. For some, it seems to come easier. They see the best in all circumstances and view the “glass as half full”. Others are the opposite; they focus on the wrong aspects of their lives and are frequently stressed, worried, or sad. A healthy-minded individual will be able to limit the evil and negativity in their life and focus on what they have been given.

Although one might be skeptical that an individual can strive to eliminate evil from their life and focus on only the positive, James gives Walt Whitman as an example of someone who is involuntary healthy-minded, or who lives this healthy-minded lifestyle without consciously trying. However, to Whitman, animals were more admirable, saying that “not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth." I have often thought the same thing while watching my Golden Retriever. No matter where she is, she seems to always be enjoying herself and having a good time. Of course, dogs do not have the responsibilities and burdens that humans have such as finding a job or paying utilities, but I think that humans can benefit from watching animals. My dog is always willing to do activities, is (seemingly) always happy, and enjoys her life. Animals do not know about the existence of evil and therefore are not burdened by it. Although asking a human to “think” like a dog would not be realistic, as they would not be able to function in society, I think that many humans would benefit from trying to emulate the happy-go-lucky nature of animals.

After I learned about the religion of healthy-mindedness, I began to see aspects of it elsewhere. One of the clothing brand American Eagle's recent slogans is “Live Your Life”. I think that this fits in well with the religion of healthy-mindedness attitude of the fact that happiness can be achieved through a change in the outlook of our lives. We have everything that we need in order to be happy—all we have to do is look for it. What American Eagle's slogan says to me is to do what you want to do in order to be happy. Do not be concerned about what others are doing or what you think they want you to do, but do whatever it is that will make you happy.

Another variation on the religion of healthy-mindedness that is alive in our society is the “yoga culture,” especially that of lululemon, another clothing brand. Just one look at lululemon's manifesto, which is comprised of various instructions on how to live a good life, includes many aspects of the religion of healthy-mindedness. Some of these phrases include: “Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself” and “Do it now! Do it now! Do it now!”. Lululemon's main objective is to “produce products to keep people active and stress-free” in order to make the world a better place (www.lululemon.com/about/culture/). Lululemon's goal and advice fit in very well with the religion of healthy-mindedness, which uses optimism as its key feature. In the religion of healthy-mindedness, happiness is the main goal of human life. We have everything we need in order to be happy, but we have to be able to be optimistic in times of trouble and look towards the future. With this religion, the act of thinking that you are happy and healthy will enable you to be happy and healthy. Both American Eagle and lululemon fit this religion, as they both believe in “living your life” as best as you can.

James' description of healthy-minded individuals as those who “passionately [fling] themselves upon their sense of the goodness of life, in spite of the hardships of their own condition, and in spite of the sinister theologies into which they may be born” really made me believe in this condition. Every year, I look forward to Universal Sport's airing of the Ironman. Although the top pros are always fun to watch as they are constantly breaking “impossible” records, what really draws me to watch the program are the blind athletes, paraplegics, and those with an array of disabilities. While most people would not even think of doing an Ironman, these men and women are out there because they love to do what they are doing. In many cases, these individuals were healthy triathletes suffered from some terrible accident. Their passion in triathlons and athletic drive helps them not only out of the hospital, but back in the water, on their bike, and on the road again to become an Ironman athlete. Although many of these individuals will never be as fast as they were before, they continually strive to be the best that they can be. During times when many others might become depressed and give up the sport, they look for other ways to continue doing what they love. To me, this is a beautiful display of the religion of healthy-mindedness.

What I really like about this “religion” is that it is universal and can be manifested at any time or place. Although there are times during which an individual will understandably not be happy, I think that this religion can help them look to the future and see what good is in their lives. I do believe that what we need for happiness is all around us—we just have to be mindful of this and look for it. As Walt Whitman suggested, “Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.”