On Happiness
“I believe the way some people's first instinct is to judge instead of trying to understand is what leads to all forms of being ostracized, which is what leads to many people heading towards darker paths, and denying themselves happiness.”
When has it ever been cool to be happy? Some may say it was cool to be happy during quarantine, when many of us were going through tough and trying times, and when coming out on the other end with a smile was not only cool but also impressive and welcomed. Others might say that back when we were younger, the difficulties of the world were less known to us due to our age and lack of understanding of the world, and the simple aspects of life created the warm feeling that is known as happiness. Others, like my tablemates here at The Python Post, would argue that it's never been cool to be happy, and that's what this article will be discussing.
As far as my tablemates at The Python Post, Jeremiah Padial stated, “Many people don’t find it cool to be happy because people believe mental illness is a desirable trait that makes happiness uncool by proxy." As I think of Jeremiah's quote, I think of how many people will lie and over exaggerate issues they face because some people enjoy the attention that comes with being pitied and the attention that comes with people having empathy for your issues. It’s a human trait to want to be acknowledged in some form, but many people take it to extremes, which is what has led to certain mental illnesses being misunderstood, confused, and stereotyped. These same actions not only glorify mental instability by making people angry because they become misunderstood, but they also cause average people to want something that should be unwanted for their own health.
The conversation of happiness and coolness started as a random conversation at my table, and I wanted to do more of a deep dive on the first thing that came to mind: how different groups of people with particular interests are seen as strange and unusual and are judged for what they like, and how what makes them happy is seen as uncool.
What specifically comes to mind are hobbies and how hobbies can have negative connotations attached to them, even if they themselves aren’t intrinsically bad. For example, if I were to be into plants and if I were to openly discuss my hobby, I would be seen as strange due to many people in my current community not being pushed into different hobbies besides basketball, dance, art, and music.
I believe the way some people's first instinct is to judge instead of trying to understand is what leads to all forms of being ostracized, which is what leads to many people heading towards darker paths, and denying themselves happiness. These same behaviors lead to people becoming parts of echo chambers, in which they only allow people with similar worldviews to affect their lives, which can lead to stunted growth, and the same actions lead to those who’ve been ostracized becoming the antagonists of other groups' lives.
I believe people are taking actions such as judging, repeating behaviors that don’t benefit them or others, and maintaining unhealthy relationships with people that could lead to them becoming worse people, subconscious or not, that aren’t allowing them to push towards positivity, whether it be for themselves or others. A lot of us, apart from Gen Z, are aware of what dopamine is and how it's essentially the chemical that makes us happy, but many aren’t being made aware of how our constant usage of entertainment apps has obscured our receptiveness to things that should make us happy.
The first things that come to mind is how parents will, instead of caring for their children when they’re made uncomfortable, give them an iPad because they know it's the fastest and most efficient way to get their child to quiet down. However, such parents are now rewarding a quick dopamine release of their child being quiet immediately which could lead to negative behaviors of their kids lashing out when not given an iPad or any source of digital entertainment. Instead, they could make the decision of talking and teaching their kids which in the long run will lead to both figures being made happy. This makes happiness for kids and adults confused because instead of facing a problem head-on, they’d rather negate the process of facing the inevitable by using distractions, which many think will make them happy.
I believe the same logic can be applied to teens and kids around my age, as I believe my dopamine has been messed with because of the bombardment of streams of different entertainment such as YouTube, TikTok, and games. All these sources have caused me and people like me to expect an instant hit of happiness after completing something, which won’t always be the case, especially with things like work and chores.
I want to end this article with everyone having the understanding that happiness is cool and should be celebrated. This is because, as humans, all our goals are moving towards happiness. You wouldn’t partake in a long-term idea if, by the end, you knew you wouldn’t be happy with it. The happiness people find in things they don’t enjoy doesn’t need to be judged or shamed, but instead celebrated because it has caused someone to see and experience positivity.