Optimism brings happiness?!

In the past, happiness meant smiles, laughter, sense of fulfillment or just a general sense of well-being. Now, happiness is used as a marker, not of how satisfied you are with your life, but rather, a symbol of how strong you are mentally to meet all odds with grace.

Happiness now is associated with the ability to adapt to changing conditions, the potential to overcome obstacles without panic, and it is directly responsible for the impression people have of you. How happy you make yourself out to be defines you as a person.

To meet the demands of showing happiness in our lowest moments, optimism was invented to guide people on the way to positive thinking that everything will turn out right eventually, no matter how bleak the situation may seem now.

How many times, when you are down, have you had someone reminding you, “Come on, cheer up man. No big deal, don’t give up. Smile don’t frown.”

How many times have you felt like screaming at these people to stop the constant chanting, even though deep down you know they mean well?

How many times did your frustration grew from big to bigger at your inability to smile in the face of troubles? How many times have you felt empty after making yourself appear optimistic?

If your answer to the above are yes, has it ever occurred to you then that the problem may not lie with you, but rather, the whole concept of optimism and appeared happiness?

To me, optimism is like a helium balloon. Sure, go ahead, inflate it with infinite amounts of happy helium air, make it swell. When the trouble hits you in the face, the odds become a venomous prick and burst your beautiful helium balloon. What happens then? Oh yes, lets just inflate another helium problem. No problem. No problem if you are just another piece of rubber, able to withstand all stretches, compressions and expressions. Things is, we’re humans. After a few pricks in succession, we hurt. We cry. We break.

The optimists may rebut, “Oh you’re just afraid of the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.” You know what, Im not afraid to admit Im afraid of disappointment. Im human. But more importantly, why cant all of us just let ourselves go and indulge freely in our emotions. May they be sadness, anger, jealousy, cowardice, feeling of loss, dilemma, can’t we just experience it all? Without trying to artificially exerting self-control on ourselves? Why be afraid to feel these emotions? Will life even be called life if not for all these?

Of course, Im not trying to promote pessimism here but for me, it suffices to know that everything no matter how crappy or exciting, will come and go. Live in the moment and people lets stop making ourselves unhappy trying to be happy.

For all the optimists out there who don’t agree with my point of view, it’s perfectly fine with me. I accept the fact that everyone thinks differently. I love to indulge in criticisms, skepticisms and disagreements.

Im just the kind of person who likes to exercise more muscles frowning then smiling to get rid of the fat pads on my cheeks( which are the last fats to be used for energy storage by your body) This is my own personal optimistic point of view of pessimism.