In the Pursuit of Happiness

Ernesto F. Travieso, S.J. (1939) was born and raised during tempestuous historical changes in Cuba. In exile from his motherland, he entered the Jesuits and received master’s degrees in Toronto, Canada, as well as at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he also obtained a Doctorate in Spiritual Theology. He has taught Art History and the Spirituality of Ignatius of Loyola. For twenty years, he worked at Creighton University, in Omaha, Nebraska, as Spiritual Director to the Medical School. In 1973, he founded the ILAC Mission in the Dominican Republic, which integrates community rural development with personal and spiritual awareness both for the struggling "campesinos" as well as foreign or local volunteers who offer medical and other services.

In this book, the reader literally journeys with the author in search of happiness and a life purpose that are traced from ancient civilizations. Taking into consideration the three levels in which we grow (the personal, the social, and the universal) we find a realistic way of life that transcends all human limitations. We humans have followed many paths that have usually ended in desolation and emptiness. This book boldly states that happiness, as elusive as it may seem, can be found in true and practical ways. There is an answer for all who are searching with a sincere heart.

            Is it possible for Western civilizations to offer an answer in this pluralistic world that would make sense in the future? Is happiness possible today for all who participate actively in this adventure called life? These questions, which may often give us anguish, have positive answers in this book. To follow its course is certainly a thrilling adventure for the reader.