Jun 7, 2014

Happiness?

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Cousins, throwback to July 2011. Photo by me.

I actually attack the concept of happiness. The idea that—I don't mind people being happy—but the idea that everything we do is part of the pursuit of happiness seems to me a really dangerous idea and has led to a contemporary disease in Western society, which is fear of sadness. 

It's a really odd thing that we're now seeing people saying "write down three things that made you happy today before you go to sleep" and "cheer up" and "happiness is our birthright" and so on. We're kind of teaching our kids that happiness is the default position. It's rubbish. Wholeness is what we ought to be striving for and part of that is sadness, disappointment, frustration, failure; all of those things which make us who we are. Happiness and victory and fulfillment are nice little things that also happen to us, but they don't teach us much. Everyone says we grow through pain and then as soon as they experience pain they say, "Quick! Move on! Cheer up!" I'd like just for a year to have a moratorium on the word "happiness" and to replace it with the word "wholeness." 

Ask yourself, "Is this contributing to my wholeness?" and if you're having a bad day, it is.

—Hugh MacKay, author of The Good Life

Intisarinya: Dalam idup, kita didoktrin untuk harus selalu mengejar kebahagiaan (“Be happy! Ayo, bersyukur! Ayo, move one! Selalu ingat, apa yang bikin kamu hepi hari ini?”), padahal sebenernya jangan begitu.

Sebagai manusia, kita harus mengalami dan meresapi segala macam emosi - sedih, kecewa, marah, bahagia, takut, dan sebagainya. Jadi perasaan ‘sedih’ tuh jangan dihindari. Embrace it. You’re human. Kejarlah wholeness (keseluruhan), bukan cuma happiness atau kebahagian.

I LOVE THIS. Tapi jangan keterusan jadi alay galau, keleus, yeee...

4 comments:

ndutyke said...

aku membaca hal yg serupa di Bringing Up Bebe, beberapa jam yg lalu. Intinya ttg (cmiiw) mengajarkan anak ttg rasa sakit dan kekecewaan.

prin_theth said...

Hai Tyke, iya, taun lalu aku tulis artikel di Bringing Up Bebe itu disini http://mommiesdaily.com/2013/05/14/i%E2%80%99m-not-sorry-you%E2%80%99re-hurt/

Bagus, yah, pesannya :)

bolissa said...

Setuju, Qaq.
Gangstas hustle lah pokoknya.

Anggun said...

Yang tengah sepertinya Chairani Kalla hehe..

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