In Alain de Botton’s fascinating collection of observations on the statements and meanings of aesthetics, called ‘The Architecture of Happiness,’ he seeks to remind us that where we are affects who we can be. de Botton strongly suggests that what surrounds us matters – and that we do well to choose our surroundings fully conscious of the meanings they invoke. For example, the self-image of one raised in an overcrowded and run down orphanage will drastically differ from that of a youngster raised in a place like the Le Corbusier home above where great care has been taken in tending to home and garden. Sure educational, recreational and social opportunities all play enormous parts, but the continual contact with forms, images and spaces that bespeak great possibility also has great impact of its own.

Just as architecture seeks to invoke a state of the soul, so too does Christianity. However it is the furniture of the heart to which Jesus pays special attention and the great spiritual writers of the ages have encouraged. In writing to the church in Philippi, the apostle Paul urges, “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Passages like this remind us that the interior aesthetic has a potential of its own to form and shape our lives. While we all dwell in homes, on blocks and in neighborhoods that bespeak status, safety, beauty and possibility, the make-up of our interiority can, ultimately, play an even more important role.

This resonated anew with me as I was reading the results of a recent World Values Survey, which is conducted every four years by a non-profit led by a University of Michigan professor. These studies gauge the happiness of people in different countries. And it is curious to observe that the nations that dominate this list are not first-world countries flush with wealth or even known for great architecture - Nigeria, Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador and Puerto Rico round out the top five. In fact, the world’s richest country, our beloved U.S., ranked 16th, behind countries like India, Ghana and Croatia.

This brought two things to mind. First, the concluding chapter in de Botton’s book, which ruminated on the purity and possibility of the unspoiled and the pure that every nation has on offer – the open field. The random beauty of nature’s unspoiled design offers a simplicity and inspiration all its own and given the economic restraints we all face, it also offers broad accessibility. Second, it brought to mind the critical interior aesthetics that influence the contentment of our souls. When we look at the priorities some nations place on family, community, deep relationships and free time it bespeaks an interiority of values and convictions with which the Bible finds resonance.

As another Michigan spring unfurls in our midst, and we begin to venture out of our frosty hibernations, we do well to fill our surroundings both with our favorite manmade aesthetics as well as those of equal or greater value found in the nature that surrounds. Yet even more importantly, as Pentecost comes to us on May 23, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit that indwells each of us is nudging us anew to pay attention to the way we arrange the furniture of our hearts. In what ways are we conscious of the ways we are shaped? How might we do better at paying attention to the things that sculpt our souls? What aesthetics might we tap into that can truly nurture us and others?

Reading
The Architecture of Happiness - Alain de Botton
Have a Little Faith – Mitch Albom
The Five Most Important Questions – Peter Drucker