Dear Diary,
You know what, I think happiness is overrated. Okay, I am in a philosophical mood today, so be patient with me. This is something I've been thinking of for ages, and it has to come out.
So, where was I? Oh yes, happiness is overrated. See, don't get me wrong. I do admire someone who has the capability of being happy always, but, let's face it - we're only human, and there isn't a single human on this earth who hasn't faced sorrow. True, happiness is linked to positivity, and I myself have been accused of being melancholic, and hence, negative at times. Of course, I disagree. Yes, happiness could be equivalent to optimism, but I do not think sorrow is pessimistic. Rather, I believe that sorrow increases our ability to appreciate and feel happiness. For instance, imagine a painter who splashed his sadness on a canvas. Maybe it was sorrow that created it, but what came out of it was art - a thing of beauty. And a thing of beauty can only give joy - joy to the artist, and to anyone who beholds it (Keats, yes!).
Sometimes, I realize that I look for a chance to be sad, and to express it. It's just because I get tired of pretending to be a forever-happy person; because I feel as if I'm losing touch with my real self - as if I'm a phony living in a phony world. I have met people who wear bright smiles on your faces when they have so much bottled up inside them. Don't you think they'd feel at peace if they could let it out - by crying, or shouting, or writing, or painting, or singing, or dancing? Don't you think that a few tears might actually be the pathway for their smiles to reach their eyes, and fill warmth in their hearts? I love what Sandy (He's the male nanny from FRIENDS. You know how much I love that show!) had once said, "It's all right. Crying is good. It lets the boo-hoos out."
Maybe it's not happiness that is the key to living a good life, but simply awareness of our emotions, and our ability to embrace them as a part of life. I haven't stopped breathing yet, and this is proof of the fact that my life isn't over, and it can't always be bad. Okay, maybe I want to cry now because my heart feels heavy. Once the tears are out, I'm hungry or sleepy, and I'm thinking of what to wear to work the next day. Now, that can't be too bad, can it? What if, instead of crying, I spend a sleepless night, then end up wearing my bathroom slippers to office, and commit a big blunder while working on an important project?
Yes, yes, I am sure that very few people would agree with me, especially because I mentioned crying, and not singing or dancing. But that's just my way of letting out my sorrow. And, dear Diary, I don't know if I'm right or wrong, but I know one thing for sure - you won't judge me. You may not slip me a kind word, or try to understand why I am sad, but at least you won't be angered. At least you won't abandon me. That is why you are my only shoulder to cry on. You are more human than this living world where expressing one's sorrow is a crime.
Okay I'll stop now. Sometimes, I can actually hear you saying "Enough!"; but man, that felt good to offload!
Now, before I doze off, here's something I came across. It's by Rumi, and I couldn't agree more-
"Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place."
Good night!
You know what, I think happiness is overrated. Okay, I am in a philosophical mood today, so be patient with me. This is something I've been thinking of for ages, and it has to come out.
So, where was I? Oh yes, happiness is overrated. See, don't get me wrong. I do admire someone who has the capability of being happy always, but, let's face it - we're only human, and there isn't a single human on this earth who hasn't faced sorrow. True, happiness is linked to positivity, and I myself have been accused of being melancholic, and hence, negative at times. Of course, I disagree. Yes, happiness could be equivalent to optimism, but I do not think sorrow is pessimistic. Rather, I believe that sorrow increases our ability to appreciate and feel happiness. For instance, imagine a painter who splashed his sadness on a canvas. Maybe it was sorrow that created it, but what came out of it was art - a thing of beauty. And a thing of beauty can only give joy - joy to the artist, and to anyone who beholds it (Keats, yes!).
Sometimes, I realize that I look for a chance to be sad, and to express it. It's just because I get tired of pretending to be a forever-happy person; because I feel as if I'm losing touch with my real self - as if I'm a phony living in a phony world. I have met people who wear bright smiles on your faces when they have so much bottled up inside them. Don't you think they'd feel at peace if they could let it out - by crying, or shouting, or writing, or painting, or singing, or dancing? Don't you think that a few tears might actually be the pathway for their smiles to reach their eyes, and fill warmth in their hearts? I love what Sandy (He's the male nanny from FRIENDS. You know how much I love that show!) had once said, "It's all right. Crying is good. It lets the boo-hoos out."
Maybe it's not happiness that is the key to living a good life, but simply awareness of our emotions, and our ability to embrace them as a part of life. I haven't stopped breathing yet, and this is proof of the fact that my life isn't over, and it can't always be bad. Okay, maybe I want to cry now because my heart feels heavy. Once the tears are out, I'm hungry or sleepy, and I'm thinking of what to wear to work the next day. Now, that can't be too bad, can it? What if, instead of crying, I spend a sleepless night, then end up wearing my bathroom slippers to office, and commit a big blunder while working on an important project?
Yes, yes, I am sure that very few people would agree with me, especially because I mentioned crying, and not singing or dancing. But that's just my way of letting out my sorrow. And, dear Diary, I don't know if I'm right or wrong, but I know one thing for sure - you won't judge me. You may not slip me a kind word, or try to understand why I am sad, but at least you won't be angered. At least you won't abandon me. That is why you are my only shoulder to cry on. You are more human than this living world where expressing one's sorrow is a crime.
Okay I'll stop now. Sometimes, I can actually hear you saying "Enough!"; but man, that felt good to offload!
Now, before I doze off, here's something I came across. It's by Rumi, and I couldn't agree more-
"Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place."
Good night!
