About Happy Minds
Post 483:
Do you have any amigos that are perpetually pumped? If not pumped, then at least walking around with a smile on their face? Seems like they’d need surgery to remove it…
I admire the shiz out of those people, but I also get a little suspicious. Things can’t be that good. They’re not that good. By that I mean, things are wrong. Bills, world hunger, political discord, relationship tightropes, insomnia, flooding, seatbelt tickets, parking tickets, global warming if you’re reading this now, global cooling if you’re reading this in the 70s.
To name a few just bouncing around the old noodle.
So… being happy or on cruise control through all that plus a billion other things seems pretty dumb.
And yet, it may be that I’m simply a judgmental jerk.
You ever watch those cop shows where they have to figure out a guy by judging their entire makeup by a couple childhood problems and their male-pattern baldness? So much judging. That would be fun. They should do a Criminal Minds show called Happy Minds where they hunt down the happy just to try to coerce some sadness out—we need justice out there, people.
Kidding. Let’s pretend that last paragraph didn’t happen. I’m a little off. Don’t judge me bro.
I’ll speculate there’s probably a billion behavioral, genetic, and environmental reasons for the way people take to the world. For some, the happy face comes naturally. They were born with the proclivity for contentment.
Some work on it. They make good choices. For instance, staying out of prison can probably do a lot to improve your mood. Not really sure walking around the cell block and a “can do” attitude are a splashing combo.
There’s luck. I call luck and environment the same thing, even though they’re not. You didn’t choose to grow up where you did and that sort of thing. So luck. This one is what it is—I got no say in how the cosmic lottery works.
I’m doing a written thought thing here. Obviously. My book on philosophical musings will be out sometime in the next 60 years, so don’t hold your breath.
What’s the right or moral stance to take? Does it serve the world to be a breath of fresh air or to be a hard-nosed realist? What’s more helpful? Does it even matter? We’re some tiny drops in a big fat bucket. Perhaps it’s best to just get on with things in a thoughtlessly sedated way. Doubt it, but it’s a free country. Sort of.
I don’t know the answer. I’m thinking it’s good to be inspiring and bright-eyed, but not all the time. Nobody’s anything all the time.
Here’s what I got: Don’t be a jerk if you can help it.
Take that to the bank. Everything else—you muse, I’ll muse. We’ll muse.
Get back to me. I want to know. Have the conversation with yourself. We’ll reconvene on the next episode of Happy Minds.
Cheers. See you after.
