Happiness, as an emotion, is one on a spectrum of many.
It is, of course, our favorite emotion though, and we dedicate our entire lives trying to
isolate it.
But even if we could control the conditions of life to solely produce happiness, we should
not want to.
Without negative emotions, we would never know what feels positive.
We do not want the emotion of happiness to be permanent, because without binary contrast,
there is no distinction between emotions and therefore, there becomes none.
What we need is a different kind of happiness.
A happiness that comes from the appreciation of the idea that we are able to feel and experience
the entire spectrum of life and emotion.
We must not confuse attempting to achieve a sense of wonder and stimulation in life
with attempting to achieve the emotion of happiness.
It is good to feel the emotion of happiness and we should try our best to do so as much
as possible, but when we chase the idea that this happiness can be a ceaseless and constant
state of being, we remain in a never-ending pursuit, attempting to blockade the ebb-and-flow
of life.
But of course, this is impossible.
The flow of life is far too strong and powerful to dam.
There are too many moving parts for everything to always work in favor of just one person…
including you.
You must, instead, be appreciative that you are not always happy and that life thinks
your worthy of experiencing the incredible array of emotions.
Things won’t always be good and things won’t always be bad, but at least they will always
be.
Deep down, we fear a life of complete certainty and happiness.
If our lives were free from all problems, our only remaining problem would be not having
any.
Our sense of purpose would dissolve.
We would stand still in a world that is in constant motion.
In order to be a part of the life around us, we must move with it and accept the flow of
ups and downs.
You must be like a garden.
Out of which the entire spectrum of emotions can grow.
As the seasons and conditions of life change, certain plants will bloom while others will
die.
But as the cycle rotates, your garden will remain rich, sustainable, and full of life.
Ironically, by maintaining an appreciation for the whole spectrum of emotions, happiness
will appear more often in your life and you will get what you really wanted in the first
place.