Pascua, Karl Jason B.

Editorial Writing
BSED – Science 3 (Irregular) Theme: Sining ng Pag-asa
Topic: International Day of Happiness

Happiness is frequently defined as an emotional breakthrough, a position in life

that guarantees you a sense of direction, a sense of autonomy, that you as a person

with all the assimilation of expectation, comes down to simply enjoying life and

experiencing greatness in all aspects of our lives, yet life does not work that way. In this

world, life is invariably unfair; fair in which, life begins as a prose to judgment, a highway

of doubt, and a gateway to a never-ending cycle of perspectives that may grant you a

sense of existentialism. Happiness is always subjected to optimism, subdued to all that

is great, but what if I told you that this isn't always the case?

The stars in the sky are a brilliant reminder that our lives will always bring us to a

point of decision and eternal contemplation—that you are destined to choose what you

will do with your life. You are bound to dictate what you want in life and who you aspire

to be and it is all about figuring out how to be more enthusiastic. The clouds in the sky

and the rain are also a great reminder that things tend to gloom and fade; a symbol of

hopelessness, but also a great start to remembering that the sun will always come back

no matter what; the light will never fade or be blocked.

 We all once made a terrible decision that severely impacted our lives. A decision

that determined our path in life, how people perceived us as people of the society, how

things would end and how, to this day, we cannot maintain a bare sense of assurance

that we are happy. I understand that it is normal for people to avoid expressing

sympathy and empathy, but I cannot define happiness for myself. What, after all, is

happiness?

The society emphasizes the importance of happiness while deviating from how to

be. The society constantly talks about being able to fully conform to enthusiasm and

gives an illusion that people need to constantly be trying their hardest. Unfortunately,

they are unable to understand the people around them of who they are and what they

represent. Should our concept of happiness be governed extrinsically by those who acts

as an audience to our own life story. You might already be in an endless trap of mind

games designed to manipulate you. Does toxic positivity ring a bell? Toxic positivity is

becoming one of the major reasons why a person cannot be happy at all—that you are

constantly bombarded with demeaning remarks, telling you who you are, and forcing

you to prescribe to an idea opposite to who you ought to be. Some are lucky enough to

miss it. However, some have been victims of constant shaming no less from their family.

It is such a shame, indeed.

Some may argue that material things such as money, bring happiness, but in

reality, it is how we perceive money that affects our outlook in life. When you have

enough money to live comfortably, more money won't make much of a difference in how
happy you are and contentment. Some people believe that happiness is a hoax which

our lives are forced to be optimistic rather than happy with which I believe is a nihilistic

viewpoint. Some people believe that happiness decreases with age which demonstrates

that people romanticize the ability to be free and young as an ideal towards happiness

yet we constantly observe that the banality their everyday lives makes up their sense of

being happy.

Have you ever heard the phrase "everything happens for a reason"? I've always

found it deeply unsettling and extremely selfish to believe that the sole purpose of life's

failures and other misfortunes is to teach us some fateful lesson that we were

predestined to learn. Learning does not imply the ability to solve a problem. Learning

can help you recognize mistakes, but it does not and should not determine how we feel

or live. It's the same kind of sloppy thinking that leads us to believe that success is

simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Everything happens because

we chose for it to happen. It is a choice.

Although positive thinking has its advantages, no one can think positively all of

the time. Forcing someone to express only positive emotions can stifle communication

and makes the whole situation pretentious as if robotic and unnatural. Toxic positivity

encourages people to pocket difficult emotions because for some, confronting these

emotions makes them indifferent; it makes them look weak.

So, what can we do to find happiness?

Create meaning. Create hope. Not a reason to live.

While we should own up to mistakes that led to a failure, there are times when

there is simply no good reason to justify why something bad happened. Without

dismissing the possibilities that determine our fate, claiming that the mishaps happened

to help us is a convenient and selfish excuse to absolve ourselves of responsibility and

to ignore the pain that these same circumstances have caused others. Don't live your

life based on others' expectations. Most importantly, remember that just because the

night has passed does not mean that our journey has come to an end. A burning heart

will always be able to explain the unexplained.

Happiness in life varies; it is simply the way we only appreciate the events that

have occurred. Ultimately, it means looking back with gratitude and a sense of hope,

because even with the worst of the worst mishaps, it is always about the opportunity to

define a path forward that you would have likely never taken otherwise. Happiness

begins with you, not with those around you and it is a plus to bring someone around to

enjoy it with you.