My little blog friend, how I have missed thee.
What has happened to BRBcoffee? It seems the “honeymoon phase” is over. I occasionally feel obligated to post something on here, but no topic ever really seems worthwhile. And by worthwhile, I mean me putting forth a mere 30 minutes of my time to write something slightly sarcastic, related to unicorns, or slightly depressing. That being said, today I would like to talk about happiness.
Happiness is a fickle thing. It is nothing without sadness. The heights of joy influence the depths of sorrow, and vice versa. This sounding a bit too Mr. Miyagi for you? Let me explain myself using various examples:
Let us say you are underfed on a regular basis. You therefore expect to be hungry often. Going a day without food doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, but getting extra food once a week is a joyous occasion! Now, let us say you overeat on a regular basis. You therefore never experience the pangs of hunger. Going a day without food seems like pure torture, but getting extra food once a week is hardly even noticed. See what I mean? Our past experiences of high and low, pleasure and pain, define our future likelihood of being happy or being sad.
Let me share a personal example. Whenever I go to my grandma’s, I am enveloped in a world of absolute love, respect, and all the things which make a person happy. The more time I spend there, the more I get used to living such a life. Then, I come home to a house where, let me say, that isn’t the case. Sure, many people would find my living situation to be a fine one, but when I have to come back from that high of being at my grandmother’s, it seems like a crap shoot. It’s somewhat painful to experience that transition- I assume it’s like coming down off a powerful drug high.
My question is as follows; is it better to experience the absolute highs of life and to constantly judge your happiness accordingly? Or is it better to have low expectations of what can be and draw happiness from lesser things?
According to this study by the University of Michigan, the top five happiest countries in the world are Nigeria, Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico. I therefore nullify my previous question and come to the conclusion that happiness = living near the equator and worshipping soccer.
Adios Amigos!
