Bob Burkett, Editor-in-Chief
The average Notre Dame student is an overachiever. One need only look at the admissions statistics to realize this. Though the statistics for the class of 2017 have yet to be released, a glimpse at the class of 2016 profile is the most recent indication of this fact. A record number of 16,952 applications were received for 3,900 acceptance spots—an acceptance rate of about 23 percent. In order to separate themselves from the crowd, current freshman Domers were ranked in the top two percent of their high school classes and boasted average SAT or ACT scores in the 99th percentile. Domers do not limit themselves to academic prowess, however, and are expected to become well-rounded by participating in extracurricular activities outside the classroom. Nothing is listed about the extracurricular activities for the class of 2016, but 90 percent of the class of 2015 were involved in community service and 75 percent were varsity athletes. Clearly Notre Dame believes that extreme involvement or borderline overcommitment is an important asset in succeeding here as a student. But does this give people the problematic notion that success and happiness are one and the same?
In a class on international development, I am currently learning about the human-focused side of development—understanding development success in terms of human happiness and life expectancy more so than numerical measures like GDP. One of the course readings was drawn from a book entitled Happier in which author Tal Ben-Shahar tackles the question of how to live a happier life. Ben-Shahar was 16 years old when he won the Israeli national squash championship, an event for which he had been training for five years. Upon winning the title, Ben-Shahar thought that he would be happy. For a short time—the night of celebrating his success and hard work with family and friends—he was. In the days and months following the championship, the expectation of eternal, lasting happiness turned to a feeling of emptiness. Ben-Shahar then made it his goal to figure out how to live a fulfilling and happy life.
After beginning his study, Ben-Shabar identified a number of different approaches to happiness that were prevalent in society. He classified them as the Nihilism, Hedonism, Rat-Race and Happiness archetypes. Each archetype is placed within a grid and is ranked according to decisions made regarding present and future well-being. The Nihilist sees no value in life at all, making decisions both against his well-being in the present and the future. Hedonists continually act for their well-being in the present without considering the future consequences of their actions. The most prevalent archetype found here at Notre Dame (and probably selected for) is the Rat-Racer, the ones who sacrifice short-term well-being for long-term well-being. Finally, there is the idealistic notion of the Happiness archetype. Happiness consists of both well-being in the present and the future and is the goal towards which every archetype is ultimately, if subconsciously, striving.
Because the average Notre Dame student fits the Rat-Race archetype, he or she is largely concerned with sacrificing present goods for future benefit. Examples would include the studious student who spends his entire school career in continuous preparation for homework and tests, striving to get the best grades possible because he is stressed and anxious about failure. Sometimes it appears as though he or she does not enjoy school or learning itself but instead perseveres through his work while looking forward to a future holiday where he or she will be free from responsibility. This pathology is a microcosm of the average week of a Notre Dame undergraduate; the weekdays are filled with classes, tests and responsibilies, whereas each weekend is generally regarded as a time of freedom from all responsibility. The main problem with the Rat-Race is that Rat-Racers take no enjoyment in the present or in the act of learning.
It takes a special type of person to continuously abstain from focusing on his present well-being. For this reason, it seems that many Domer Rat-Racers adopt a Hedonistic behavior from time to time. Dabbling in Hedonism in moderation is not necessarily a bad thing. People do it everyday when they get on Facebook, add an occasional cheeseburger into their otherwise healthy diet, or even choose to play guitar instead of studying for classes. The key, however, is that the future consequences of these activities are not ignored and that the activities are performed in moderation.
These are two characteristics that the average Notre Dame student should keep in mind on weekends when their focus shifts from future well-being to present well-being. I know that Notre Dame students deal with a lot of stress on a weekly basis and many use the weekend as the time to release all of their frustration. Perhaps this accounts for the “hookup” culture and excessive alcohol consumption that occurs at Notre Dame on weekends. Both of these actions are undertaken without concern for the long-term being of the actor(s), often leading to extreme future consequences. In the case of the weekend binge drinker who uses alcohol to relieve stress, the repetition of this behavior every weekend can develop into alcoholism. Similarly, those who have multiple sexual partners from “hooking up” can get STDs or become addicted to sex. Although Happiness means acting for one’s own well-being in both the present and future, the chimerical substitution of both a future-focused Rat-Racer and present-focused Hedonist has proven inadequate.
In my time at Notre Dame, I have done my best to enjoy the present while working towards the future. Should I be upheld as a model of behavior? No, but many Notre Dame students today have a misguided notion of what happiness means and how and where to find it. Ben-Shahar makes several recommendations in implementing these behaviors in one’s everyday life; prayer, meditation, and simple reflection on things that can make you happy comprise just a few things that can make people happier in their everyday lives. Ultimately, it should be understood that long-term happiness is not achieved in personal success, nor is it found in your next fudge sundae; it is a continual process which is achieved both as a mindfulness of the present and a use of the present to work for the future.
Bob Burkett is a senior anthropology and political science major who resides in Dillon Hall. He is hoping to coast through the next four weeks of school, but probably will not, considering the number of papers and presentations that are insidiously creeping up on him. To complain about senioritis or offer to do some of his homework, he can be reached at rburkett@nd.edu.