The Art of Being Happy.

I'm jumping straight into writing before I lose my train of thought, I'll discuss lack of recent writing another time. Here we go...

Anyone who has spent time with me that past few weeks knows that it's been relatively crappy. The news of Brad, a series of poor grades on tests I had taken, and concern over issues my friends were facing were serious problems I was facing. I've always had to deal with problems in my life, but I deal with them much differently than even say, a year ago. I still mope, I still bitch to anyone within earshot, but the essential difference is that I no longer dread the coming of the next day, something I have done since I can remember. The fear of what's to come and the failures that might await me if I were to confront the world absolutely terrified me to the point where I'd do anything to escape it.

Today, I welcome the coming day, because it gives me the opportunity to succeed where I might have failed the day previously. For example, I mentioned I did poorly on a series of tests. The first instance was an Earth Science test I studied pretty rigorously for, yet not 20 minutes before I left to take the test, I found out about Brad's death. It was under those unfortunate circumstances that I took the test, and I finished an hour long test in about 10 minutes. I got a 77. I had gotten a 100 on the previous test so this was a big let down for me. That weekend I bummed around while my brother was down and didn't get much done. I knew I had a math test the following week and it was written down on my calender for Thursday. Unfortunately the test was Tuesday, I had written the date wrong, and showed up unprepared. I got a 75. Those were my two worst test grades so far in college, and I was very depressed about the matter. But not once did I begin to dread class this week. I was very anxious to get back, because I had a test today in Astronomy. I got an 83.

The reason I bring this extended example up, is because I knew I would feel happy after I did well(83 isn't spectacular, but it's Astronomy so I'm pleased) on a test. And the reason why happiness is the topic of this post today is because I read something that disturbed me. It was a status on Facebook saying "Happiness is due to forgetting about the world's woes, and being forgotten by the world." Another lad said that "happiness is nothing more than an illusion created by being oblivious to the world around us."

About two years ago, I would've said that these were kids that really understood the way things are, I agree with them 100%. But I've come to learn they're wrong. Very wrong. There is happiness on this earth. You must work for it, you must earn it. It is definitely not a right, not something to be given to you if you're lucky. Happiness is something you can make for yourself. In fact, to be happy, you must embrace the world around you. I make happiness for myself by doing the best at everything I can, and enjoying the rewards. Do right by your friends and be there for them, and they will be great companions and you will have great times. Maintain a somewhat orderly lifestyle and you will be able to enjoy a life with less worry. Try hard in your studies and you will be rewarded with the options of a future of your choosing, of your liking. I failed to do this, and my options were severely limited, to work minimum wage for the rest of my life or community college. At the time of my deciding I was angry, bitter, and very depressed. Now I'm thankful for even being given the option of community college, it's something I barely worked for and hardly deserved.

I can assure any person who reads this. You will not be happy by sitting around and doing the very least you can to get by. It's a vicious cycle where nothing good happens to you, and you begin to seek nothing good in life. That's where these views come from. I've always been a pessimistic asshole, and that will never change at heart, but when people tell you that you have to work hard, you have to apply yourself, you have to blah blah blah we've all heard it, there is something to this statement. For some reason or another, some of us fail to see it. But it's true. I find myself fulfilled every time I complete a task around the house, finish a paper, get a 5:1 kill/death ratio in MW2, help a friend, learn a new thing, but most importantly, challenge an authority. That is what makes me happy. Arguing my case before someone that I am right and they are wrong, and here's irrefutable evidence and reason as to why(which seems to be an activity an optimist would enjoy, not a pessimist, so maybe I'm wrong about myself). That's what I enjoy doing, and that's why some of my best friends are idiot liberals.


So, my message and reason for writing this is to 1) talk about me and 2) help show troubled people that happiness is really right in front of them, available to them(and everyone in a free society), and achievable only through action and a desire to do well. If you don't possess a desire to do well, consider the long term consequences of never finding one, and then begin!