There's more to life than being happy | Emily Esfahani Smith

He repeats our names like a hymn. He wanted our names to be the last words he says on earth if he dies. My father is a carpenter and a Sufi. He has a humble

life

, but he is a good

life

. There he lies facing death because he had a reason to live: love. His sense of belonging to his family, his purpose as his father, his transcendent meditation, the repetition of our names... as he said, these were the reasons why he survived. This is the story he tells himself. This is the power of the meaning of life.

Happiness comes and goes. But when life is good and when things go bad, carrying a duvet gives us something to hold on to. Thank you (applause)