Introduction

Multiple roads lead to happiness; but to achieve complete happiness, one must walk each of those individual roads.

For me, it all started when I was fresh out of high school, about 18 years old. I sang in a church choir; rehearsals were weekly. At the time, the age majority of the choir was between 60 and 80. Every so often, during conversations or miscellaneous jokes, I would notice everyone else laughing when I meekly sat in silence. In short, I was upset at the fact that they laughed at everything. At 18 years of age, this also baffled me. I was judgmental, often asking myself: “What's so funny? How are these old people so happy?” It wasn't until a few months later that I realized my judgment was all for naught. It was a humbling experience to realize that I was the unhappy one and they were simply living their lives to the fullest. In that moment of humility, I soon discovered that this was a moment from which I can learn. Through the lives of these octogenarians, it became as evident as light that if I could take in everything they know about life, then maybe by the time I'm 80, I could have double that degree of wisdom. This goal, of course, was a rather adolescent way of thinking, but this also marked the first step in my journey toward wisdom.