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Late on Thursday evening, as the final episode was screened in the UK, British viewers said farewell to Advertising guru Don Draper, lead character in the hugely successful American TV series Mad Men. Beautifully designed and cleverly construed, this is a drama in which surprisingly very little happens. The focus, rather, is on the essence of human nature and what Philip Larkin refers to as “something almost being said” but not quite. Mad Men’s cultural backdrop hardly flatters 60’s America. The black characters and most of the women are downtrodden and treated shamefully in smoke filled offices. But Don is dapper and suave. He has the looks, a demeanour from which he confidently shines, as the advertising industry [without social media, don’t forget] finds its feet. Any theological reflection of Mad Men might begin with Don’s confident assumption that the advertising industry is built on happiness. Answering his own question as to what happiness is, he explains: “Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s freedom from fear. It’s a billboard on the side of the road that screams with reassurance that whatever your’re doing is OK. You are OK.” Without spoiling the final episode it won’t be a surprise to learn that Don is still grappling with the reality that advertising theory is no creed by which inner happiness is achieved. However his industry makes things seem, feel or smell there is no guarantee that without taking some time out to achieve a proper perspective on what is really important in our lives, we just stumble on. I remember two priests having a heated debate by the Sea of Galilee as to whether when Jesus says the word “Blessed” in the Sermon on the Mount [Blest are the pure in Heart, Blessed are the peacemakers etc] that the same word can be translated as meaning “Happy”. One believed the two were synonymous whilst the other suggested happiness was more fleeting and dependent on circumstances out of our control -whilst God’s blessing on us was assured if we looked for it. Being asked if you are happy is probably one of the most simple and yet profound questions anyone can ask you. How do you even know? Perhaps the Trappist Monk Thomas Merton got it right when he defined happiness not as a matter of great intensity but, instead, as a unique combination of “balance, order, rhythm and harmony”.