Happiness is in making things

Will Durant, a name etched in the annals of intellectual exploration, was more than a mere historian. Born on November 5, 1885, in the quaint town of North Adams, Massachusetts, he embarked on a lifelong quest to unravel the tapestry of human existence.

Imagine Durant as a literary alchemist, his pen dipped in the ink of curiosity. His magnum opus, The Story of Civilization, spans eleven volumes—a symphony of words that dances across time and space. Written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant, this opus chronicles the ebb and flow of Eastern and Western civilizations. From the pyramids of Egypt to the Renaissance courts, Durant wove history into a vivid tapestry.

Durant invites us to don the apron of creation. Imagine a potter molding clay, a painter coaxing colors onto canvas, or a chef orchestrating flavors. These acts of making birth joy. The act itself—the shaping, the crafting—is the elixir.

We live in an age of consumption. We devour information, binge-watch shows, swipe through endless feeds. Yet, Durant nudges us to pause. The thrill of acquisition fades; the joy of creation endures. Whether it’s a poem, a garden, or a wooden chair, making things is our secret garden of happiness.

Durant’s words pulse with life. Imagine a baker kneading dough—the rhythm, the warmth. Or a writer lost in prose—the dance of words. These moments are happiness distilled. They’re not fleeting; they’re etched in our souls.

Durant whispers to the consumerist in us: “Create.” A quilt stitched by hand, a song composed, a garden tended—they outlive the latest gadget. Our hands, our minds—they’re the alchemists of joy.

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