Philosophical Musing #3 - Happiness
When I'm bored on the tube or bus or any public place with lots of people, I play a game in my mind to relieve my boredom. I pick out a person, and I ask myself whether that person is happy. Based on that person's appearance, expression, body language, style, and anything that I can observe from he or she, I make up a story and a background, and conclude whether that person is happy. So for instance if I see a young pregnant woman with a gigantic tummy sticking out making her look strangely out of proportion, usually my conclusion is she's probably experiencing one of the happiest times of her life at the moment with a loving husband and their first child popping out any moment.
Very often I can't conclude whether a person is happy or not though. Like that wrinkled, extremely ancient lady walking at equal speed as a snail, with her cane, is she happy? Does she have a fulfilling life, with a husband that's alive and lots of grand children surrounding her? Or is she lonely? Or that mum with 4 children who looks so worn out, is she happy? Does she even have the energy to make the effort to feel happy looking after those energy-sucking kids? Or that Chinese man there, working in the restaurant. He probably gave up his life in China and arrived here in search of a better life with his child and wife. Did he find what he was dreaming of here? Is he happy here?
Do people keep on putting an effort to create happiness for themselves, no matter their stage of life and life situation? That ancient old lady, has she simply given up creating her happiness with a "I'm going to die soon anyway" mentality, or is it the opposite, that because she is going to die soon, she will live life to its fullest? That mother with the excess number of children, did she ever intend to have so many children? Maybe she used to dream of a life with a career, but now she has to settle down to raise those kids. Has she simply accepted that? Will she make a effort to realise her dream?
I want to conclude happy endings for these people, because I hope, hope, hope that people keep on fighting to be happy. It's all that really matters in the end after all.
Very often I can't conclude whether a person is happy or not though. Like that wrinkled, extremely ancient lady walking at equal speed as a snail, with her cane, is she happy? Does she have a fulfilling life, with a husband that's alive and lots of grand children surrounding her? Or is she lonely? Or that mum with 4 children who looks so worn out, is she happy? Does she even have the energy to make the effort to feel happy looking after those energy-sucking kids? Or that Chinese man there, working in the restaurant. He probably gave up his life in China and arrived here in search of a better life with his child and wife. Did he find what he was dreaming of here? Is he happy here?
Do people keep on putting an effort to create happiness for themselves, no matter their stage of life and life situation? That ancient old lady, has she simply given up creating her happiness with a "I'm going to die soon anyway" mentality, or is it the opposite, that because she is going to die soon, she will live life to its fullest? That mother with the excess number of children, did she ever intend to have so many children? Maybe she used to dream of a life with a career, but now she has to settle down to raise those kids. Has she simply accepted that? Will she make a effort to realise her dream?
I want to conclude happy endings for these people, because I hope, hope, hope that people keep on fighting to be happy. It's all that really matters in the end after all.
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