Here's something for your summer vacation. It doesn't take long, but appearing frivolous, it's a holiday matter. It's happiness. Certainly a holiday matter.

The idea is a happiness meter. Not only can it tell us if we're happy, but how much, and how our happiness level might compare to that of others.

Most interesting, this meter can guide us in how we might increase our happiness. It would tell us which areas need work to raise our general sense of well-being. Such a device is a big order.

Being an insomniac I read all sorts of things during the night when it's peaceful and the telephone doesn't ring. I've read often enough that the Dalai Lama says happiness is the goal of life. "The purpose of life is to be happy," is how he puts it.

We don't have to be Buddhists to see his point, and while non-Buddhists might see other purposes in being alive, we also likely agree with his emphasis on happiness in particular.

He says that seven personal characteristics bring happiness, things he calls "spiritual qualities." (Spirituality, to him, is the striving for happiness.) Thus, it would seem that if we list the seven qualities and then were able to quantify them, attaching numbers or scores to each one, we could come up with a numerical indication of our level of happiness.

Furthermore, by looking at how we score on each, we learn which areas of our lives could use more work, and which are providing us with the amount of happiness we happen to feel. Easy.

The seven qualities are: love & compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, and a sense of harmony. Apparently, the Buddhists have developed this list over millennia. It is interesting that they all, except contentment, are directed toward others.

This is true of Buddhists; they are very directed toward others, rather than their own individual crusade to reach heaven or Nirvana. Spirituality and happiness both have to do with our relationships to others, they believe. That is not what we westerners normally think of as spirituality and happiness.

So make a list of the seven qualities, and score yourself on each quality, one to ten, ten being highest. How to come up with a number? First, give each quality a five-the middle ground. Then look at each quality and ask, am I more tolerant than the average person, or more patient, or compassionate? Or less? How much, more or less?

To answer these, consider, first, what you yourself think-be rigorously honest. No one else will see this scorecard. Second, ask or recall what others have said about you in these areas.

Did your high school class vote you the most responsible? Does your partner say you lack tolerance toward others? Do your kids try your patience? Do you carry a grudge? That's not forgiveness. Anger issues? Not so high on love.

This isn't astrophysics . . . it is, but a different kind. Once you've finished the scoring, add them up and divide by seven: your happiness index (average). I'm sure you'll be surprised.

The Dalai Lama says to improve a quality we have to curb our "harmful impulses," rather than, say, trying to love more or be more patient. We improve our love index by catching every sarcastic thing we think. The more we curb these bad habits (anger, dislike, don't-care attitude) the higher our score.

The higher our happiness.

Try it.

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Copyright © 2007 Fred Ryan/Log Cabin Chronicles/07.07