Unhappy? Action Star Reveals God-Centered Solution
By Movieguide® Contributor
Americans are increasingly unhappy, and actor Chuck Norris explains why and what the solution is.
“In 2022 research by Oracle, at least one-third to one-half of Americans have outright confessed they have forgotten what it means to be ‘truly happy,'” Norris wrote, adding that “27% of Americans surveyed said they couldn’t remember what it meant to be ‘truly happy,’ [and] 45% of Americans surveyed said it had been more than two years since they last felt ‘true happiness.'”
According to Gallup, “For just the third time in more than two decades, less than half of Americans say they are ‘very satisfied’ with the way things are going in their personal lives.”
“Americans are currently less satisfied with their personal lives than they have been since 2011, whether that is based on the percentage satisfied or very satisfied,” Gallup continued.
What’s the cause of this decreasing happiness? “This lower satisfaction level coincides with weak economic confidence,” Norris explains.
The actor believes that “since Mr. Biden and Kamala Harris took office in 2021…They have produced what Gallup calls, ‘Weak economic confidence,’ and there’s no end in site [sic].”
Over the past 10 years, inflation has skyrocketed, especially between 2021-2024.
“Trump was exactly right this past week: ‘People are going to vote [for the next president] with their stomachs.’ That is, their high grocery bills will guide them how to choose a next president,” Norris wrote.
“That’s why I honestly say it’s a mystery to me why someone would vote for another four years of the Biden administration policies through Kamala Harris, who will give us what type of economic plan?” Norris continued. “You guessed it: more of the same. In fact, financial analysts are saying it could be even worse than Biden’s.”
Economic woes lead to more than just emptier refrigerators, though. Rising inflation and decreasing happiness have launched the opioid crisis to an all-time high as people seek something to satisfy the hopelessness they feel.
According to the American Medical Association, “The nation’s drug overdose epidemic continues to change and become worse. The epidemic affects every state and now is driven by illicit fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, methamphetamine, and cocaine, often in combination or in adulterated forms.”
Ultimately, though, happiness and satisfaction in life won’t be found in drugs or a bigger bank account.
“…the problem isn’t they’re trying to be happy. God wired us to seek happiness,” author Randy Alcorn wrote. “The problem is we seek happiness in the wrong places.”
The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 6:17 to put our hope in God, not earthly wealth:
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
“America’s founders understood that spiritual fact,” Norris concluded. “That is why they stated it among our unalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence: We are ‘endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'”
When we keep God at the center of our lives, we can find true happiness and satisfaction, no matter what is going on in the world around us.
Norris has written about happiness in the past. Movieguide® reported:
Karate legend Chuck Norris recently revealed how to be happy in 2024…
“Don’t trade love for anything.”
Norris referenced a study that followed young men’s lives from college until adulthood. It found that the ones who were happier had “strong family ties, close friendships and rich romantic lives.” The unhappiest people were the ones who had poor relationships…
“And if love and romance are our path to true happiness, they find no greater pinnacle and purpose than in our sacred romance: our relationship with God,” Norris said.
“The fact is, you’ve had the key to happiness all along. Like Dorothy with her ruby slippers, God is with you now, and was with you even during the hard times of 2023. The good news about that is that we don’t have to wait for a new year, a new day or a new anything to start experiencing happiness. You can have happiness right here, right now, if we turn to the Lord for happiness,” Norris concluded.
