The Pursuit of Happiness, Part 3

Having examined the "height" dimension of happiness, let's take a moment to think about the breadth or width dimension. While "tall" or "high" happiness engages my whole being, "wide" happiness transcends my person.
In the last post, I suggested that, if only for a short moment, a good roller coaster can make me very happy. (If I didn't suggest that, then I should have.) If I happen to be on the roller coaster with a friend or three, then they may very well experience the same sort of happiness that I do. Of course, they won't necessarily have that sort of happiness.


But the happiness that I experience on the ride doesn't infect anybody else. It's my happiness. For others to experience that narrow happiness, they'll have to get on the ride themselves and get their own little sliver of happiness.
Similarly, when I eat a Chipotle burrito, the happiness is mine alone. Rarely will you see someone sitting at a table contentedly watching someone else chow down on their bedroll-sized burrito.
What is an example of something that creates wide-ranging happiness? Let's try this one on, even though it will seem to stumble over the speed bump of my previous Chipotle argument. Last night my family went to dinner at Olive Garden, where we gorged ourselves on bread sticks and cheese-laden pasta. (Yes, there was salad, too, but who wants to muddy the waters with talk of vegetables.) I would suggest that the happiness incurred there was a broad happiness, covering the five of us who sat around the table. Now you'll want to argue that one given my previous comments, but there's a distinction to be made. My fourteenth breadstick gave me a measure of happiness not quite as tall as number thirteen and pretty much restricted to me. Penny did not sit there enjoying that breadstick along with me as I ate it. However, the happiness of the entire experience lapped over all of us. The happiness of Alyson's entree was hers alone, but she shared in the happiness of the whole experience. Similarly, when I took my kids to Worlds of Fun last summer, I decided did not enjoy riding some of the rides. In fact, I honestly thought I might hurl all over one particular spinning hell called Cyclone Sam's. At the same time, I very much enjoyed sharing time with Thomas and Olivia. Their ride on the Mamba was happiness that only they--individually--enjoyed, but the day at the park was happiness shared by all.
So you get the idea of the breadth of happiness. I would argue that just as tall happiness is better than short happiness, broad happiness is better than narrow happiness. When something makes 100 people happy as opposed to making 1 person happy, then it is better. That seems pretty obvious, but we often forget it.