The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness

by Robert Waldinger

There is a Western idea, particularly in the United States, that we ought to be able to conquer all problems. If a problem doesn’t seem conquerable, the response is often to turn away entirely. The choices become: I must do everything, or I can’t do anything.

facing a problem is not always the same as fixing it.

What if I just let this person be themselves without passing judgment? How would this moment be different?