ever since i caught that movie, i have this thing that 'happyness' brings across a greater emphasis on the word. but what makes us so bent on pursuing happiness? have we been reduced to such desolation that we are forced to chase after joy? when i think pursuit, i think of a long-drawn chase, something that you keep running after but just shy of catching, over and over again. something like wile e. coyote and the road runner. the poor coyote repeatedly fails, yet keeps going hot on heels. why is it so hard to achieve satisfaction? perhaps it is our insatiable craving for something better - today you have a dollar, and you think 'oh, if only i had 2 dollars, life would be better' and tomorrow, someone gives you another dollar, but are you happy? no, you think 'if i had 3 dollars, life would be better'. it's a terrible cycle. same thing with dieting, 2kg becomes 3kg and then 4kg and it never ends, next thing you know you're sucked into a black hole of growing dissatisfaction and a shrinking body.
happiness is full of ironies. we yearn for wealth yet question why obesity is on the rise. we demand for food production to increase yet criticise producers for genetically modifying our food. well, did you think we had enough chickens to lay 2 eggs a day for 6 billion people?! they're slaughtering these chickens for our meals too. if only we had a day or two, or perhaps a week, free of modern technology, where we have nothing to do but sit around ruminating, would we realise the pathetic state we have diminished to become. majority of people strolling by on the street are disgruntled creatures in some way or another - be it self, school, jobs, relationships, life, you name it, you have it. but why?
today this struck me pretty hard: "what matters is that you are happy with what you're doing. for that same amount of effort, you can be doing so much more, but it's the passion that keeps you going". i might not have quoted in exact words, but the crux of the matter is plainly stated. whoever said "money can't buy you happiness" was darn right. happiness is something that comes from deep within, from when one is truly satisfied. roald dahl said "if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely". if you are constantly thinking about being happier instead of embracing current blessings, it will be like dark clouds that block out the radiating sunbeams from your face.
we aim for the notion of better because someone beside just always happens to be better. from the very inspiration that the book / movie from which the title of this was derived from: “others may question your credentials, your papers, your degrees. others may look for all kinds of ways to diminish your worth. but what is inside you no one can take from you or tarnish. this is your worth, who you really are, your degree that can go with you wherever you go, that you bring with you the moment you come into a room, that can't be manipulated or shaken. without that sense of self, no amount of paper, no pedigree, and no credentials can make you legit. no matter what, you have to feel legit inside first.” (chris gardner). until you feel that legit-ness, you aren't ever going to be happy. but human nature is such that you want to believe that attaining that unachievable goal will help you feel legit. the vicious cycle never ends.
until you shake yourself up and tell yourself your passion is worth more than monetary gain, that the fulfillment is worth more than extended time with your pillow, that your health is worth more than your dream to be another poster girl, that your relationship is worth more than who was right in the first place, would you then begin to feel legit inside.
“the world is your oyster.
it's up to you to find the pearls.”
so he said.
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