The Picture’s Askew And Your Happiness May Be Too.
Ever been happy?
I’m sure you have. Probably many times.
Probably most of your life. Or at least more happy than not. I’m sure that’s how most normal people are.
Or at least that’s how most people who THINK they’re normal feel.
I would also assume that most people who DON’T really think about whether they’re happy or not or normal or not probably are. Both happy AND normal. If you don’t question yourself or your life and circumstances then you’re probably pretty content with things. You’re not looking for something better.
That’s probably close enough to happiness for this discussion.
It’s when you start to question things, start to doubt things, that you realize something isn’t right, or is at least slightly askew enough to be noticeable, like an old picture hanging on the wall that just won’t stay straight.
So you straighten it.
You compare the top and bottom of the frame with the floor and ceiling, making sure all the planes are parallel and even. Then you let go. It seems fixed, it looks normal.
So you go on about your business, living your life and pretty much ignoring that picture day in and day out as it dissolves into the background of your life. This is normalcy. This might even be contentment. Hell, let’s take a chance and call it happiness! Whatever we call it, it is an existence of smooth sailing, with no major obstacles, your life on autopilot as you cruise smoothly at thirty thousand feet.
Everything seems normal.
Then it catches your eye.
The picture.
It looks different. It’s slightly askew.
Again.
It’s planes are no longer quite parallel to its bounding floor and ceiling surfaces.
But you’re in a hurry so you leave it alone. And over time the annoyance builds up until it drives you crazy every time you walk by it. And then you realize it bugs you even when you don’t see it. Soon it’s all you can think about, all day, every day, wondering why the picture’s crooked again.
How did it get that way? What the hell’s wrong with your house? Is the foundation shifting? Settling? Sinking? You wonder if there are any cracks in the walls or ceiling that you haven’t noticed that might explain the once again crooked picture. You wonder if maybe you imagined the whole thing, that maybe the picture’s not crooked at all. Maybe you’re seeing things. Maybe you’re just going crazy.
Then you get home and there it is, the slightly askew picture.
So you straighten it.
Again.
And your temporary doubt about contentment and happiness is once again assuaged, your life again content and happy and structured and orderly. When you’re happy – or think you’re happy – you don’t question whether you’re happy or not.
It’s when you start to question things, start doubting and asking yourself “Am I really happy?” that you realize the very act of asking those questions means that you might not be. Or at least you’re doubtful enough to need to take a closer look, make a double check. It may only be temporary, that doubt and uncertainty, but it’s still there.
The picture is still crooked.
Again.
Why?
That is the question you have to truthfully answer to and for yourself.
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