learning to be happy

Human beings come equipped with the unique ability (among animals at least) to speak languages which not only allow them to organize and co-ordinate, but also express their thoughts, ideas, and feelings in a very sophisticated manner. Yet, although the ability to speak is born into every human, this ability will be useless if they are no other humans around who teach a language to a newly born. Without language learning, most of a human's communication skill will be just like that of yet another ape. The same holds for much other social behavior.
It is the belief of our religion that the same also holds for human's innate ability to be happy. All humans can be happy, but just from being born as a human they don't know how. I recently dug up some articles which back this belief with scientific evidence: A study has been done about a specific choice of things to find which of those choices makes people more happy and which of those choices people think makes them more happy. Well, the scientifically proven result: what makes people more happy is not what they think it is!
Here are some articles about that:

• Money can buy happiness - but only if you spend it wisely, say scientists
• Yes, Money Can Buy Happiness . . . but probably not in the way you imagined.
• Buying Experiences, Not Possessions, Leads To Greater Happiness

There is no mechanism in our modern society which teaches people how to be happy. Yet, everybody's own happiness depends also on the happiness of others. Nobody likes to have a dissatisfied, nagging boss, wife, or teacher. Nobody wants criminals, psychopaths, or terrorists.
This is why the world needs a religion that stretches out to people and shows them the way to happiness. Not force them to be happy like George Bush wanted to force democracy on the unbelievers, but teach them to be happy in their very own way. That's why we need a religion that's based on compassion first, and not on a God, spirits, and historic stories. May everybody believe what they want about the creation of earth, life, and humankind. May everybody believe what they want about the afterlife. But, let's all work together to help everybody believe in the basic goodness of all humans. Compassion, community, and creativity.