Why Can't We Not Be Happy

this post is an opinion piece and is based on personal life experience, conversation and ponderance...

Why Can't We Not Be Happy

Why can't we not be happy? Why is it wrong to simply be content with who we are, where we are, and simply be content with the world around us?

Have you ever tried to answer the question "How are you?" with simply "content"?

Through my experience, the response to this is concern.

It's interesting, in our Western-World culture how it's not 'OK' to be content. And this reaction speaks volumes about who we are. Our warped view of happiness that totally [1]monopolizes one of the most natural emotions.

The ability to feel content is truly, very empowering, feeling secure and relaxed with that which is our world. We forget all too often, in our land of quick answers and quick fixes the importance of "taking a breath" and "taking in the moment."

You can not be happy all the time. I know the term "happy" is thrown around a lot, and although it is our right to feel happy, it's not necessary or (in my opinion) healthy to feel the need to feel happy every waking hour.

The problem lays in the concept that 'if we're not happy, something's wrong, and we need to fix it.'

If you think of happiness as a drug: if you need a "hit" of this drug when you wake up, and take another "hit" a couple hours later, then feel the need to have another a few hours later, not only are you dependant on that drug, you need it to function (or to feel 'normal') and after a hand full of hours into the day you won't even feel that you are "high" or in this case happy. You more than likely will be seeking out your next dose just to sustain a sense of normalcy.

Not to say it's a bad thing to wake up happy, it's just a problem if you wake feeling as though you SHOULD be happy.

This, no doubt explains why we have addictions in our society to activities such as shopping, or having to catch the next episode of our favorite program.

We NEED to feel stimulated. We NEED to feel more than just content with our lives.

And the idea of true happiness dies. Happiness is no longer a joyful sensation, a reaction to deserving moments in our lives. It is then an obligation. A requirement to search out the next thing to feed our social addiction. Once you attain or acquire that which is new and makes you happy, it will then become old and normal. No longer exciting, but rather expected and boring. Maybe even depressing. So we need more input, more stimulus.

Then that becomes old...

normal...

maybe even depressing...

So then we need more...

Where is the happiness?

After all...

we need to be happy....

[1] monopolize: have and control fully and exclusively; "He monopolizes the laser printer" - Webdefinitions