From the Editor’s Desk

The fifth issue of Kaveret, the journal published by the Department of Behavioral Sciences, deals with Happiness. It is perhaps ironic that the period destined for receipt of the articles included in this issue was so "unhappy" for the State of Israel and its citizens, what with the Intifada el-Aqsa, terrorist attacks, and the Defensive Shield ( חומת מגן ) operation. According to Karl Marx, consciousness is the fruit of the experience of being; and so, our present state of being made it difficult for contributors to write about Happiness. Yet, texts were prepared, some of which were perhaps influenced by the personal as well as national frame of mind.

This issue on Happiness represents another link in the chain of concepts explored in the previous issues: Love (Kaveret No. 1, January 2000), Leadership (Kaveret Ho. 2, March 2001), Freedom (Kaveret No. 3, June 2001) and Justice (Kaveret No. 4, January 2002).

Happiness can be defined in diverse ways. It can be interpreted as the good life, economic wealth, spiritual tranquility, self-realization, or any of a large number of other conditions. Is there a universal definition for :Happiness? Is Happiness an individual, subjective feeling? Can we measure the level of Happiness achieved fin society? The issue's discussion of Happiness attempts to respond to these questions. The first six articles 1(1-6) present a comprehensive, theoretical examination of Happiness from the perspectives of psychology, sociology, economics and philosophy. The next four articles (7-10) treat Happiness in the context of couple relations, Judaism, religion, and the Israeli backpacking phenomenon. The following five articles (11-15) are dedicated to an analysis of Happiness in the arts: in poetry, painting, theatre, literature and architecture. The five subsequent articles (16-20) describe the authors' personal encounters of Happiness. Four stories (21-24) touching on Happiness close the survey.

As in previous issues, the four basic tenets of the Kaveret credo were applied:

1. Review of the concept (one per issue) is to be as comprehensive as feasible, touching on diverse points of view: philosophical, psychological, sociological, economic, legal, religious, geo-political, literary and artistic (short stories, verse and drawings).

2. The discussion is to range from the general to the particular: from macro-level relations focused on society to micro-level relations focused on individual human beings, their thoughts, feelings and hopes.

3. Contributors are to include students, graduates, teaching assistants and lecturers from the Academic Studies Division and other institutions.

4. The format is to be compact, focused, and aimed at as broad an audience as possible.

Kaveret No. 6, scheduled for January 2003, will be devoted to the concept Beauty. As customary, we will publish, following review, articles and creative works not exceeding 2000 words in length, as well as responses to previous articles prepared in the spirit of  the Kaveret credo. The final date for receipt of submissions is 15 November 2002.

Dr. Rachel Pasternak

The Department of Behavioral Sciences

The Academic Studies Division

The College of Management