Helen Keller: Finding Happiness Through Human Connection and Resilience

“Better to be blind and see with your heart, than to have two good eyes and see nothing.” — Helen Keller

Helen Keller’s notable contributions to happiness and human potential are the subject of countless published works. What resonates most for me are two essential principles in Keller’s life that weave the tapestry for a substantial and happy life: human connection and resilience. 

Keller became blind and deaf before her second birthday. As a result, she had to rely on learning through the three senses she still had intact: taste, touch and smell. For five decades of Keller’s life, she enjoyed an enduring close relationship with Mrs. Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller through the sense of touch, using a manual alphabet to demonstrate to Keller that everything she encountered had an actual “name.” Lessons were taught in myriad fashions including first tracing Mrs. Sullivan’s face in her childhood. In addition, Keller also interpreted life through smell. One such memory of smelling daisies forever transported Keller back to the fields where she first encountered them. She also learned through the sensation of being immersed in the ocean and discovering the power of the sea. Mrs. Sullivan was the lifeline that literally took Keller from a world of darkness to one of interior light. Indeed, it was the most important relationship in Keller’s life. 

The research from the Harvard Study of Adult Development demonstrates that quality human connections are the most important factor in leading a happy life. This 85-year-study is the world’s longest running study on adult happiness and what makes for a fulfilling life. As stated in the opening pages of the study’s co-directors, Dr. Robert J. Waldinger and Dr. Marc Schulz's 2022 book “The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness,” the evidence is clear: “Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. Period.” In our study of happiness, the SPIRE elements are the foundation for a happier life. While all five elements are important, the one that has been most significant for me is the emphasis on relationships (the “R” for relational in SPIRE). Indeed, human connection through quality relationships is the compass that helps me navigate through life. 

But I knew the importance of human connection decades before the Harvard study confirmed it. And so did Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. I had an extremely close relationship with my father until his death. He was my rock and my inspiration. A man who adored his family, he did everything in his power to show us both the beauty and harsh realities of life while weaving these together to create a realistic portrait of what life entails in all its complexity and magnificence. 

A history professor, my dad wanted me to learn firsthand how life worked in Eastern Europe in the 1980s thereby instilling in me an appreciation for the diversity of the world. When I was eight, we spent a summer driving through Europe. On one occasion, we went to Prague in what was then still Czechoslovakia. There we met an elderly Charles in the town square who wore a beret like my dad and similarly smoked a pipe of tobacco. Although we couldn’t communicate through language, we all became fast friends. We took him to dinner and communicated over an enjoyment of food, coffee and loud laughter. 

Here, I learned that you don’t have to necessarily speak the same language to have an understanding of another human or form a friendship. We bonded over the enjoyment of taste, smiles and laughter. Charles stayed our friend through letters written by his daughter, in English, until his death. The impact of Charles and many other wonderful encounters throughout the years with other foreigners demonstrated that friends and relationships can be formed anywhere, and with anyone, if supported through effort and desire. 

While infrequent in today’s society, there are still occasions when I smell this sweet smell of tobacco that reminds me of my father. Like a passage through time, the smoke transports me back to my childhood family room where my dad is reading the newspaper while sitting in a worn, dark blue leather recliner. Such is the power of smell to remind us of human connection. 

The second principle for happiness that Keller exemplifies is the power of resilience. Keller persisted to overcome her physical disabilities, driven by an intense love of learning and her desire to be of service in the world. She is a testament to taking her disability and turning it into a platform for raising awareness for the rights of people facing various disabilities through numerous books and lectures. Indeed, Keller was also the first deaf-blind person to graduate from college in 1904. In fact, much of her education was funded by Alexander Graham Bell who was both her friend and ardent supporter. 

Keller’s resilience resonates powerfully with me. Enduring life with a disability can create a complex dichotomy of emotions in a human. Often, you develop both a tough and extremely sensitive disposition. This I know from handling a mild presentation of primary lymphedema since birth. What helps is having support from others and persisting despite the challenges. I have learned that resilience and human connection build the very bridge you need to traverse over the waves of the unknown.

Keller knew the importance of trying to live purposely with intentionality and practice. She understood she had to cultivate what she wanted out of her life. 

“The world is sown with good; but unless I turn my glad thoughts into practical living and till my own field, I cannot reap a kernel of the good. Thus my optimism is grounded in two worlds, myself and what is about me,” Optimism, An Essay. 

Thank you, Helen Keller, for inspiring me and countless others with your resilience and optimism!

About the Author:

Jenny is a sunshine-chaser, journalist, copywriter, and happiness coach who believes life is too short not to laugh from your belly. With a curious mind and a heart that's taken a few scenic detours, she helps people find light in the messy, unpredictable middle of things. Whether she's crafting copy, creating wellbeing resources, supporting those navigating the wild ride of mental health, or chatting with curious learners, Jenny brings a mix of wisdom, warmth, and humor to the table.

A journal in one hand and a suitcase in the other, she’s got a serious case of wanderlust and an unshakable love for the sea (bonus points if there's a dog splashing nearby). She’s convinced that joy isn’t something we find—it’s something we build, moment by moment. And she’s here to help others build it, too—with kindness, courage, and the occasional cry.