The intellect/happy irony

Have you ever noticed that we, as people, strive for happiness yet it is those among us who are more withdrawn, sullen and discruntled that we think of as "cool". A person who is "happy" is often thought of as less intelligent as their peers.

Especially in youth, we seem to be drawn to and emulate the more conflicted and dark among us. The joyful and chipper teenager is rarely as interesting as the James Dean type. With age (and life) it gets harder to be blissfully optimistic. When you think of people like Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama, they are usually smiling. These amazing human beings are very aware of the spectrum of joy/pain that is the human existence. The choice to "be happy" and to be hopeful and positive is available to all of us. Life gives us sometimes very valid reasons not to be happy but it is our personal choice how we let these challenges effect us.

If you really think about it, the more selfless we are the less we need or expect those around us to "feed" our personal needs (both physical and emotional). To be sad and sullen is actually to be incredibly self indulgent. We impose our needs onto everyone around us and require others to "take on" what we are feeling. There is a fine line between forming bonds and having personal connections with the people we love and trust with the struggles of our daily lives and living in a state of requiring the attention of others. In this world of constant contact via Facebook, Twitter, blogs,email and text, we are all becoming a bit narcisistic aren't we ?

Sometimes happiness needs us to fight for it. We have to hold on and refuse to let go no matter what the day brings. Holding steadfast to the beauty of our lives. Those simple joys like laughing or petting a dog that are here and now all around us. It is our choice to carry worry and fear and hate around with us, missing the wonder that we are walking by.

Perhaps it takes great "intellect" to just put that baggage down and let ourselves feel the breeze, smell the flowers and notice that we are perfectly happy in that moment. There have been a few really interesting studies this year about the "age of happiness". People seem to get happier as they get older (past 50 anyway). How many 80 year old do you know that don't smile when they see a baby ?

Perhaps there is a wisdom to happiness. When we understand how hard life can be but still we allow joy to creep into and infuse our lives, maybe it is then and only then, we truly find it.

Story von Holzhausen