Happy Jack from Doug Dawson on Vimeo.

Perhaps, I am content because I am making enough money to pay my rent, my expenses, or go out to lunch once a week. Alternatively, I think, I would really be happy if I had enough money to own a second home, own two cars, hire a housekeeper, take all of my clothes to the dry cleaners, and get my nails and hair done weekly. However, using these examples, I am placing my feelings and emotions in the control of outside things, people, and places. In this mindset, what are the chances that I really would be happy sitting in the living room of my summerhouse in my finely pressed clothes and perfectly styled hair? The likely answer is that you would probably be writing a new list in your mind as to what you could obtain or perfect more to make you really happy or content.

The truth is that most of us use the word content to really say that we have a lot of unfulfilled expectations. Sure, we can name a handful of good times we’ve had, the raise in salary here and there, own a nice, but old, car, are in pretty good shape (even if we have to lose ten pounds – we add), have some unspent vacation time coming up, or won’t have to go to the in-laws for Thanksgiving this year. While these by themselves sound pretty good when we say them aloud, still, something seems lacking in our inner core. Can we name it, or are we fearful or ashamed?

My guess is that we find a bit of contentment in the word content, as we believe it to be a close second to true happiness. I would be happy, I wrongly believe, if all of my expectations had been fulfilled. On the other hand, I could be content if I had achieved perhaps not exactly everything I had planned to, but had come really, really close. In both cases, we are wrong. In each – the contentment scenario and the happiness scenario, I had placed the conditions of my emotions on something outside of myself. For the most part, we humans are powerless over most things, people, and places. Yet, even under the most severe of situations, we have the ability to refocus and retrain our minds, particularly in ways to help others. Reaching out and bringing a smile to other human beings, especially those closest to us, are the quickest way to achieving happiness and contentment within ourselves. The key to happiness is finding satisfaction within ourselves – in our behaviors, our thoughts, our words, and actions – knowing that we tried our best each day to be the best we could be on that day and in that particular situation or place.

The self-described follower of Spirituality is not always clear on these religious tenets, because he or she has decided that he or she has found a better way – in essence they embrace a set of ideas based primarily on feelings. To me, this is a form of narcissism, wherein an individual believes that his or her personal spiritual ideology is superior to religious standards of conduct and morality which have been in practice for thousands of years. If put to the test, how does one know if one is being a good person, if one essentially has only himself to be accountable, without measure for his or her deeds and thoughts? When one isolates him/herself from a greater body of humanity where moral principals do matter, where and in whom does he find a role model? To whom does he go to with questions of moral importance, and perhaps even more importantly, who is there to offer correction or encouragement?

I therefore posture that the follower of Spirituality associate him or herself with an organized religion in order to ground himself in a set of tried and true set of practical living standards. If he is sincere about reaching a higher plane of spirituality, following an ascribed set of moral codes in a place of worship, will satisfy his longing for connection with the Divine as well as other human beings who are also on a similar path.

Allow me to better illustrate. Suppose, one decides that he or she is going to attend university with the expectations of becoming a more informed, better educated individual, but does not officially enroll. Rather, they decide, that they will assemble their own curricula according to their own interests, judgments, and feelings. They believe that they are intelligent and mature enough human beings to be able to select books, surf the Internet, and watch films, without being boxed into the confines of a classroom or limited by a professor’s syllabus.

On the first day of school, this person arrives on campus, fancying himself an active participant in the great quest for knowledge. Breathing deeply of the Spirit of Knowledge, he finds himself spiritually lifted and at one with the University. Strolling around campus, he catches a glimpse of himself in a darkened window, pauses, and admires how scholarly he appears with an armful of philosophy books. In this person’s self-estimation, he feels imbued with the divine spiritual essence of Plato, Aristotle, Thoreau, Descartes, Kant, and Schopenhauer; he feels at one with the University.

The next day, he sets off to campus again, eagerly returning to the library to collect some more books. The librarian compliments him on his choice of readings, and asks in a friendly manner what classes he is taking. He becomes somewhat defensive, feeling that he is being personally challenged – wondering what business it is of this clerk to ask him about his studies. His spiritual aura has suddenly abandoned him. His oneness with the University is a lonely relationship, as it does not have a provision for oneness with others.

Since you are specifically reading this to find out how to play blues guitar, you probably already familiar with the many styles of Blues there are.  Depending upon your choice, you may be seeking to play an acoustic guitar, which reflects the style of the early 20^th century, or later generations of Blues where the electric guitar was introduced.  Blues in the 1920s reflected a change with the influence and popularity of jazz.

If you are interested in the influence that African-American women had on the Blues scene, you might want to look into recordings of Memphis Minnie – born Lizzie Douglas in 1897.  On her eighth birthday, she was given a guitar, and subsequently learned how to play blues guitar and banjo.  Her earliest job as a professional musician was with the Ringling Brothers Circus, where she toured during the 1910s and 1920s.  Memphis Minnie’s style was influenced by the Memphis Blues, which was characterized by the jug band craze of 1920s, many of which she toured with.

In addition to being recognized as the most successful female country blues singer, she was also one of the most influential blues guitarists.  Additionally, she was a musical pioneer, experimenting early on by electrifying her guitar.  It wasn’t until much later in the 1940s that electrified guitars became standard instruments for playing the Blues.  Memphis Minnie’s career as a Blues artist lasted roughly forty years, until 1958, when she retired due to poor health.