Walk around some areas of Central London on a weekday and you will notice the alpha male and female. They are the people who give the impression of being extremely important and are so preoccupied with their own office sanctuaries that they resemble robots, for whom being busy, overworked and stressed seems to be a badge of honour.
I often wonder what happiness is for them.
We live in a society where who you are is sometimes determined less by who you are as a person and more by what you do and what you have. London is becoming a city for the rich and powerful and, as a result, it risks losing some of its soul — that much-needed balance that every big city needs.
It can sometimes feel as if Central London is a place solely for those who are exceedingly and ostentatiously wealthy.
Love can also become a transaction for some alpha people. It has a price tag, and the status of their other half can seem just as important as chemistry or a genuine connection.
Madness, yet very true.
On a recent trip to Sicily, I met a local fisherman. This man, Giuseppe, taught me a lot about happiness through his simplicity and his unconditional love for the sea, for his part of the world, for his job and for his family.
He made me see that life can be so much simpler and happier when we obsess less about what we want to achieve, possess or become.
Maybe all these robotic people one meets in some parts of London just need to be a little less self-centred. Perhaps employers need to loosen up and create happier working environments where human beings can learn to respect and admire each other for who they are as people.
Wherever one meets people, one should have the feeling of meeting another human being, not a “banker” or a “Buddhist”, for example. These differences are secondary. If we leave the labels aside, perhaps we can communicate, exchange ideas and share experiences more easily, creating a simple and direct connection with a fellow human being.
Giuseppe told us that happiness is appreciating what you already have, rather than yearning for what you don’t.
He was not preaching to us or telling us how to live our lives. He was just being himself: humble, wise, extremely sharp and with the confidence of a man of the sea.
He lives with a sense of fulfilment and a serenity that are very uncommon. These are not qualities he had set out to achieve; he simply had them.
He loves the sea and loves being a fisherman. As a result, he is utterly powerful and charismatic and, paradoxically, he truly is what an alpha male should be.
