We live in a society that glorifies happiness and joy but dismisses and vilifies doom and gloom — sadness if you will. But how real is this? Life is mostly painful and unpleasant. There is only fleeting joy in the average person’s life. This realization produces a lot of distress and confusion because we are told our ultimate task in life is to be happy — to bask in this feeling endlessly. Any 16-year-old student when queried about their goal in life will often say, “I just want to be happy.” Aristotle further muddies the water by suggesting that happiness is something we must experience along life’s journey. (1) So how do I get to this state of contentedness?
Happiness, most certainly, is the eventual realization in life, but it requires effort and practice. Here the Stoic (2) message is helpful. To strengthen our resolve, we must prepare for every inevitability, and every failure. This is accomplished by understanding that joy and happiness must also embrace wretchedness and despair. We must fortify our being for life’s journey and not vary from our path, however arduous and trying. Each of us has a mission to fulfill in our mortal existence. It is up to me to discover and uncover what that is.
It is easy to dismiss life as superfluous and Internet-based. But, the only real life is the one that is examined. (3) So, how do I prepare myself for the journey — how do I buttress myself against the vagaries of existence? I need a day of gloom to strengthen my resolve. This is a day that I make no effort to feel better. I allow my suffering in the morning to continue throughout the day. I am filled with pain, sadness, and loss for all the sins I have committed in my life. The question quickly becomes, “Why would I do such a thing?” The simple answer is that when I have experienced despair, I can also embrace joy and fulfillment.
We have free will. This means I am capable of choice at every moment in my life — this includes all the circumstances I find myself in. Perhaps, I have never been to prison, but I have experienced egregious loss in my life. How I respond to that loss is within my capacity. If I decide to be a victim, it is my creation. Many people pay “lip service’ to loss in the modern era. We say we can withstand the harshness of life, but unfortunately, that is not true. We have become soft as a society — hence the recent virtual chaos in our global civilization produced by the pandemic. We would be foolish not to follow our strong role models and mentally prepare ourselves for the future — reminding ourselves that all is possible. Practicing a day of gloom will assist in strengthening our psyche for that journey.
The Reverend Martin Luther King leaves us with a thought: Courage is an inner resolution to go forward in spite of obstacles and frightening situations.
A closing thought: When I am willing to experience all of my emotions, I am in a position to understand who I am. This self-knowledge is the key to a happy and successful life.
To sum up: This week, we spoke about embracing sadness, as well as joy, in life.
To be noted: From Robert Randle (4) — Life isn’t complicated if you do not break your concentration on your true vision.
Just for fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ3zL7kT6_c&ab_channel=TeddySwims
For reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neDutbcedUY&t=2021s&ab_channel=JohnVervaeke
This week, on your exciting walk, please reflect on what a full range of emotions means to you.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Don’t be a wage slave – critical thinking is great!
Quote: To understand sorrow is to comprehend joy.
Footnotes:
1) https://positivepsychology.com/philosophy-of-happiness/
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYEJsq35iks&t=303s&ab_channel=StoicJournal
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_unexamined_life_is_not_worth_living