Today that question runs through the streets, knocks on the doors of houses and enters the head of anyone. Happiness is no longer an objective or a simple state to enjoy, happiness is an obligation You have to be happy at all times, for everything and, to the extent possible, make others share in that happiness.
There is no consensus on an ideal of happiness. However That doesn’t stop bookstores from appearing infested with self-help If in the end this is about self-help… why would his book be of use to everyone? smoke-selling charlatan? The books are not far from each other, nor are they far from the neoliberal doctrine that permeates this Europe of the 21st century. “You do everything yourself, I will continue giving lectures paid for with public money from your taxes.”.
In the end you find someone who works 10 hours a day doing overtime for free and who, through their taxes or what they stop earning, pays a guy who goes to the company to tell them that they have to be happier, more employable, more positivewith activities to promote “teambuilding” which, citing Nega, would translate into “act the sucker”.
Happiness is not what we have been told
I say again that I don’t want to be happy. If happiness was this. I understand that happiness would have to be based on other things. For Freud or Flaubert in stupidity as the basis of it I prefer, as the song said, to think about health, money and love. In time to enjoy. And a little more. It’s not too much to ask. Or yes, nowadays it seems that it is too much to ask.
But one thing is that having money or time is complicated and another, very different thing, is that you have to be happy for not being able to pay for the house. Understanding happiness as that state of perpetuity of smile, optimism and good vibes Obviously in any life there are good moments, of joy despite the difficulties. But under certain circumstances it becomes impossible to achieve happiness 24 hours a day. non stop proposed by New Age gurus, self-help, coaching and more coelhism.
The dictatorship of normal opinion
Sartre said: “Let us not waste any of our time; Maybe there were more beautiful ones, but this is ours”. I wouldn’t dare say that there were better times, since this time has brought great advances, especially in life expectancy (we could assess whether extending life is good or bad depending on the conditions, but it seems clear that almost everyone wants to live longer. ).
What I do believe is that there are better lives, people who are luckier (being born is a coincidence) but we cannot exchange each other for so much. We have to try to live ours as best as possible, the one we have But let no one come and demand anything from us, much less be happy under their ideals of supposed happiness. The famous phrase “each person gets what he deserves” would have to be responded to with violence. Let’s say no to the posture of wanting to pretend to be happy.
I have decided that I do not want to be happy
I don’t want to be happy Whenever I have seen myself in front of a dish that looked appetizing I have thought about eating it and not about taking photos, when I have been partying I have thought about continuing drinking and enjoying myself, not about stopping to take selfies and if I have gone out for a run, to the gym or to any place that involved doing sports activity I have thought about doing it and then taking a shower, not about writing hashtags.
I am therefore not an example of happiness, quite the opposite. The thing is…and you?
