“Happy New Year”
You hear it all the time. We put so much pressure on ourselves to find that elusive happiness and try to be happy all the time.
Why?
Happiness isn’t even a recognised emotion, it seems to be an abstract concept that is different for all of us. So why do we put so much emphasis on it?
I have my theories. It certainly makes for a great marketing tool; tell us to be happy all the time and when we can’t, sell us some shitty product to make us happy.
It’s all bullshit! Saying “I want to feel happy” is the same as saying “I want to feel floof” it is so abstract that it has no real meaning. Even if it was a definite emotion that was the same for everyone, it still isn’t meant to be the one and only experience. By focus all of our energies on trying to force it, we are missing out on all the other perfectly valid emotions that make up this experience of life.
There are reasons why we feel sad or angry, fear or disgust. We don’t always deal with them in a constructive manner and this is why we often refer to them as negative emotions. I think happiness can be a negative too when it is valued and sought after above all other experience. If we learn to deal with these so-called negative emotions constructively, they can all become positive experiences that bring depth and richness to our lives.
So this new year, if you’re sad, then be sad, if you’re angry the be angry. Afraid, disgusted, joyful, hurt, whatever you are feeling commit to it completely. No one ever gained anything by bottling up and denying an emotional experience. And if you’re happy, whatever that is for you, fucking embrace it. Be whatever you are in any given moment and be it completely. And when it’s gone, let it go. Holding on to any emotion beyond its expiry date is just as harmful as not allowing it in the first place.
And know that whatever you are feeling, you can choose to feel something else whenever you want. All emotional reactions are simply a reaction to our point of perception. Don’t like the way you’re feeling, change your perception, look at things from a different angle.
At the core of it, just experience this beautiful thing we call life and all it has to offer. Experience it with its full array of emotions. Stop being so damn beige with your pseudo-mono-emotion of happy.
