The Trickle-down theory of going outside

“The Trickle-down theory of Happiness” by Philip Appleman

I haven’t been doing this for very long but I already feel like a broken record. Life comes in cycles though, and I guess one of mine is feeling disillusioned about the world. Today has been good — but once I have some downtime I start to think about the way the world works and it’s one exponential hop, skip, and a jump down to despondency.

Today, I stood on my balcony and took this picture as I tried to convince myself I needed to get back out of my apartment. I texted three different people and commanded myself to leave because I could feel it creeping up on me. And this time I did. I drove to a local coffee shop and had a fulfilling conversation with a consistently funny and caring friend.

But the state of the world is still out there, and I need to decide what my role will be in changing that, or being happy within it. I hope to never be a person who would fill their own tub and then demand more when others have none, and I hope to be aware when I see that being done.

“…on behalf of the world and its people
he demands of his God, give me more.”

You can read the full poem here:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/35558/the-trickle-down-theory-of-happiness