UNPAR.AC.ID, Bandung – Eric Weiner shares a few of his philosophical journeys to various countries. He believes that every place he has visited holds a meeting point of his own inner meaning, viz. happiness, creativity, and belief. He has provided new perspectives on his travel experiences and encounters with different cultures.
Eric has written The Geography of Bliss (2008), The Geography of Faith (2011), The Geography of Genius (2016), dan The Socrates Express (2020). These books have been translated into more than 20 languages and sold in various countries, including Indonesia.
The philosophical traveler and former reporter for The New York Times and National Public Radio (NPR) shared his religious journey. In the event “Public Lecture: The Geography of Faith,” which was held offline at the Auditorium of the Arntz-Geise Learning Center Parahyangan Catholic University (PPAG UNPAR) on Tuesday (10/25/2022). The event is a collaboration between the Faculty of Philosophy UNPAR and Mizan Publisher.
This is certainly a mystery and a question for many people. Based on his first book, Eric revealed that religious people who worship God tend to be happier than non-religious people. From a spiritual perspective, happiness generally comes from other people or social connections.
“Is it because they believe in God or belong to a religious community?” he said.
According to Eric, happiness is not personal but relational. The quality of relationships with friends, neighbors, nature, the universe, and others must be appropriately maintained.
“Happiness is not personal, but I would say 100% is relational, in this case, the relationship with friends, neighbors, the environment, nature, the universe, and others. It’s not about you but your relationship to it all,” he said.
In this era, happiness is often defined as a happy/pleasant experience, such as chatting with friends. Meanwhile, he states that happiness alone is not enough. We, as humans, want a life that is full of meaning. According to him, Religion and God are one means that could give sense to life.
“Religion, God, or spirituality is one source of meaning in life that has existed for thousands of years,” said Eric.
He further said that all religions/beliefs are part of one another. Islam, Christian-Protestant, Christian-Catholic, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and others came from previous generations and grew over time.
“They all have a relationship with each other from the previous generation and grow over time,” said Eric. (KTH/JES-PR&Protocol UNPAR)