Thursday 28 June 2007

The Happiness Rant


Isn’t it funny how most time saving devices do not really save any time at all. I came to this conclusion as I was thinking what time was like before all of these time saving devices were invented. People were more relaxed, spent more time conversing with each other and stress was not even known about. In an attempt by humans to save time, they have only succeeded in cramming more things into a day than they did before. These things are meant to complete a fulfilled life. Society tells us now that if you are not going to the gym at 6am, doing a full days work usually punctuated by a game of squash at lunchtime, and then back home for a jog and a 3 course meal, and then, if time, a two hour social event which you have to leave early to have enough sleep in order to start it all over again, then you are slacking and must try harder to not waste so much time.

You cannot save time, you can only spend it wisely, or not. Time keeps going no matter what you do. A stitch in time saves nine, but society now says a thousand stitches in time saves you nine. Life, the stuff that actually matters in our days, is often missed because (in the words of John Lennon) we are busy doing other things. We invent all of the other things that we strive for every day, like a perfect healthy body, or a new promotion, or a “life changing” holiday. When we reach one of these goals we do not sit back and pretend that life is now over and we have reached utopia. The thrill is always in the chase.

You look forward to opening presents at Christmas time, but once you have opened them and enjoyed them briefly, you look forward to the next 364 days when you can do it again. When you succeed in a promotion that you have been after for years, in a couple of years time you are unhappy and want to progress again. We are never fully happy because we always want something beyond what we have, beyond the stars just out of reach.

The easy way out of all of this is to concentrate on what we do have, not what we don’t. Life isn’t about packing as much as you can into your years, but about being happy for as long as possible. As nearly every problem that we have is contrived by us, it is us that can prevent these problems in our minds. To worry and be unhappy about life that is out of our control is the real “waste of time”.

We have created our own escapes from the realities of life in order to forget, or pretend that one day we will be happy. Organised religion is followed by millions all around the world looking for hope that one day things will be better, and waiting for signs or fate to come knocking on their doors. It is used as a shelter to protect people from life, the natural ebb and flow of life, with its ups and downs. Millions across the world also use drink and drugs for the same purpose, but society chooses to demonise some things but not others.

The real answer to happiness is within. It’s not about what you can have, but what you have already that counts. Life is about living the ups and downs and learning from the experiences, developing as a person, and growing wiser.

1 comment:

monkeygirl said...

Mikey - you really musn't complain, your dinner is on the table and you have two beautiful screaming babies who are hungry and need their nappies changing and a bath if you have time...

Lots of love

Clairee x