So I get on facebook, the ruler of time-wasters that I am eternally addicted to. And pretty soon I come across something that inspires me to write.
Now, I'm really worried about some people taking this the wrong way. So please, hear me out.
I have a friend that has the following as the one and only quote listed under 'favorite quotations' on his profile:
"What do we do, now that we're happy?"
I've actually come across this quote of his a lot as I'm randomly stalking people on the social network, and it always makes me stop and think. Depending on my mood, I sometimes find this a very cynical way of looking at life...but mostly I find it a very provocative line of thought.
Again, please don't get me wrong. I believe that everyone should be happy. Not just sometime down the road, but right. now. If you're not happy, change something. One of the many reasons that we are on this earth and in this life is to find happiness....so find yours. You should always, always, ALWAYS, have happiness in your life.
My point perhaps is that, at least in my own personal experience and the experiences of my friends, even if in the overall scheme of your life, you're blissfully, overwhelmingly happy, there's always something that you might prefer to be a little bit....improved....in your life. Whether it's in relationships, personal or family goals, spiritual needs, financial aspects, career or educational ambitions, 'bucket list' fulfillments...there's always something that could be better.
Say it that way, and it sounds as though we're ungrateful for what we have. And there are certainly people out there that are. That's not how I prefer to see it, though. This is where my brain goes (and maybe I'm crazy, but you're reading this, so that means you're at least somewhat interested in my opinion):
Our lives are, in great part, overwhelmingly motivated by our desires to achieve the aforementioned goals that we have. ...Try to imagine your life if you literally, without exception, had every. single. thing. that you wanted. Maybe you think that'd be great. I think...I wouldn't know what to do with myself.
Life is meant to bring us happiness. But it's not meant to be paradise. It certainly sounds wonderful to be satisfied in every aspect of your life, but then....what's the point? To continue to grow and develop as human beings, we need to be reaching for something, working at something, trying to become better people or doing better things. If we suddenly had every single thing that we wanted, we would become complacent, stagnant.
That's not a life I want, even if I dream of, well...all my dreams coming true. I'm of the opinion that it's very difficult (if not impossible) to be an outstanding person if you are a complacent one. And think about it: have you ever known someone who truly had everything they wanted (and reach beyond all the superficial things here. I, for one, have never known someone who wanted for nothing).
Throughout all the joys and triumphs of our lives (and especially through the trials and heartache), we should be continually striving for more. Not ungratefully, but hopefully, eagerly.
So what am I saying, that we should be enjoying the long, hard path to what we're searching for? Ideally, yes. But that is, in fact, an ideal. I think the more important factor is that we just recognize that we're not failing because we don't have everything, we don't do everything, we haven't achieved everything we wanted to. We should all have something to work toward. And hopefully we all have something that makes us extremely happy as we continue to reach for more of our dreams.
So I'll ask it again: "What do we do, now that we're happy?"
I'll let you know when I find out.
