Lately it seems as if gratitude and being at peace with your existence are out of fashion. Looking at what humanity has morphed into, I’m appalled to gather the fact that the feeling of being satisfied is as rare as finding a bull working part time in a china shop. This alien feeling is what has driven us to adopt the befitting role of mechanical beings, brainwashed to believe in a life of constant mental struggle perpetuated by this underlying societal pressure. I guess the Rolling Stones were right. We really “Can’t Get No Satisfaction”.
Now some people will read this and question why I’m discouraging you from conquering your dreams and demoralising you from being the person you aspire to be. But my friends, if your dreams and your dissatisfaction with your current life entirely consumes you to the point that you degrade your soul’s status to non-existent, is it really worth it? If your “dreams” burn you out before you even hit the stratosphere, what really is the point? Living life like a struggle, an ordeal. I’m sorry but that’s not my cup of joe.
Dip your feet in the ever-growing ocean that is society, and you will come to realise that as a people, we have entirely forgotten how to embrace the true nature of life. And what really is this true nature of life you may ask? Well, to paint a relatable for you, life is like eating an ice cream cone in the summers. Your favourite flavour, melting away, drop by drop, ruining your hands, and making a pleasurable experience quite the contrary. But your choice lies there; are you going to spend your entire time drenching a box full of tissues in that Belgian chocolate gelato or are you going to enjoy your ice cream and deal with the sticky situation soon after. See, now that is the human dilemma. We are constantly eyeballing our future to the extent that we cannot even enjoy the current moment we’re residing in. Our minds are so focused on some kind of light at the end of the tunnel, that we fail to notice that true beauty also lies within the tunnel. We somehow convince ourselves that this next best thing will be the key to our happiness, our satisfaction. But when we get there, when we open the lock, only then do we realise that there never really was anything behind that door. So, we soldier on to the next destination, attaching all our hope and determination to an event that can never truly guarantee those emotions. We may be our own saviours, but we are also our own enemies, constantly at war with ourselves.
The human mind is so powerful and utterly bewildering, that it never seems to let this body rest, it never truly lets you “live in the moment” and embrace what is standing right there in front of you. Instead, it makes you question every decision, every move you make. It forces you into a relentless pursuit for happiness, a constant struggle for content, when you can find both sitting right next to you, watching your favourite show on Netflix, laughing away the negativities that reside in the air you breathe. Yes, my beautiful friends, happiness can also be found in the smaller things. True happiness doesn’t require big changes, major life events or pushing yourself to be better and better and better. True happiness requires acceptance, it requires peace. Peace with the person you are, content with this set of flesh and bones standing on these two feet. Take achieving content like driving to a destination. You can sit in your car, go out of your way and take that pointless long route, or you can simply just walk down to the same place, with enough time on your hands to enjoy what is standing there waiting for you, your old friend, happiness.
Why we were procreated into this confusing paradise is beyond my understanding, a place that can be both our heaven and our hell. It is up to us what we want to make of it. As a people, we should strive to achieve better and do better in life, reach our goals and shoot beyond what we perceive as the limit. However, we shouldn’t attach feelings of happiness and satisfaction to them because that only makes it harder for us to find them in the long run. Those age-old cliches make sense as you grow up, happiness truly does reside in the smaller things.
So, my friends, as always, I leave the question to you. Why are you chasing the sun, when you can find light in any corner of the room?
Now some people will read this and question why I’m discouraging you from conquering your dreams and demoralising you from being the person you aspire to be. But my friends, if your dreams and your dissatisfaction with your current life entirely consumes you to the point that you degrade your soul’s status to non-existent, is it really worth it? If your “dreams” burn you out before you even hit the stratosphere, what really is the point? Living life like a struggle, an ordeal. I’m sorry but that’s not my cup of joe.
Dip your feet in the ever-growing ocean that is society, and you will come to realise that as a people, we have entirely forgotten how to embrace the true nature of life. And what really is this true nature of life you may ask? Well, to paint a relatable for you, life is like eating an ice cream cone in the summers. Your favourite flavour, melting away, drop by drop, ruining your hands, and making a pleasurable experience quite the contrary. But your choice lies there; are you going to spend your entire time drenching a box full of tissues in that Belgian chocolate gelato or are you going to enjoy your ice cream and deal with the sticky situation soon after. See, now that is the human dilemma. We are constantly eyeballing our future to the extent that we cannot even enjoy the current moment we’re residing in. Our minds are so focused on some kind of light at the end of the tunnel, that we fail to notice that true beauty also lies within the tunnel. We somehow convince ourselves that this next best thing will be the key to our happiness, our satisfaction. But when we get there, when we open the lock, only then do we realise that there never really was anything behind that door. So, we soldier on to the next destination, attaching all our hope and determination to an event that can never truly guarantee those emotions. We may be our own saviours, but we are also our own enemies, constantly at war with ourselves.
The human mind is so powerful and utterly bewildering, that it never seems to let this body rest, it never truly lets you “live in the moment” and embrace what is standing right there in front of you. Instead, it makes you question every decision, every move you make. It forces you into a relentless pursuit for happiness, a constant struggle for content, when you can find both sitting right next to you, watching your favourite show on Netflix, laughing away the negativities that reside in the air you breathe. Yes, my beautiful friends, happiness can also be found in the smaller things. True happiness doesn’t require big changes, major life events or pushing yourself to be better and better and better. True happiness requires acceptance, it requires peace. Peace with the person you are, content with this set of flesh and bones standing on these two feet. Take achieving content like driving to a destination. You can sit in your car, go out of your way and take that pointless long route, or you can simply just walk down to the same place, with enough time on your hands to enjoy what is standing there waiting for you, your old friend, happiness.
Why we were procreated into this confusing paradise is beyond my understanding, a place that can be both our heaven and our hell. It is up to us what we want to make of it. As a people, we should strive to achieve better and do better in life, reach our goals and shoot beyond what we perceive as the limit. However, we shouldn’t attach feelings of happiness and satisfaction to them because that only makes it harder for us to find them in the long run. Those age-old cliches make sense as you grow up, happiness truly does reside in the smaller things.
So, my friends, as always, I leave the question to you. Why are you chasing the sun, when you can find light in any corner of the room?
