The Joy of Sadness
We live in a society where happiness is valued above all else. Happiness is on everyone's mind: Gotta do this or that to be happy. If you're not happy there's something wrong with you. Sadness is associated with mental illness. Nobody has time for your sadness. "Get over it", "why don't you just be happy?", "oh, stop being so miserable", "don't bring everybody down", etc..
I'm fine with people wanting to be happy, but I don't believe we should suppress our negative feelings. There's a lot to be sad about: the world we live in is far from perfect, misery is a part of life. Let's not turn our back on all misfortune in this world and pretend it doesn't exist.
When I think about all the sad and horrible things in the world, knowing I can't do anything about it except feel sad, I feel a sense of joy. It's hard to explain, but I find pleasure when I know things are truly hopeless. Does anyone else feel the same way?
I'm fine with people wanting to be happy, but I don't believe we should suppress our negative feelings. There's a lot to be sad about: the world we live in is far from perfect, misery is a part of life. Let's not turn our back on all misfortune in this world and pretend it doesn't exist.
When I think about all the sad and horrible things in the world, knowing I can't do anything about it except feel sad, I feel a sense of joy. It's hard to explain, but I find pleasure when I know things are truly hopeless. Does anyone else feel the same way?
Comments (4)
Unfortunately, yes. It is a sad state of the world to point out the sadness of most inhabitants, be it a burning fawn in the forest, to a starving child in Africa.
But... nobody likes pity. It's a sad feeling; but, I think more people should feel it in a non-pejorative manner.
Alot of problems in America in terms of economic problems can be solved not with socialism or government handouts but with modifying land laws and building code laws. I'll spare you the details at this point unless you ask for more information. Alot of current land laws and building codes popped up after LBJ's war on poverty. Globalism and automation are in general bad things but they can be used to our advantage if we modify certain laws.
As for other countries, each country is different and i don't pretend to know alot about them.
Happiness is a temporarily introspected positive affect. The notion that it’s even possible to somehow attain this with any permanency is false. And yet the majority of society is built on this false notion and the various illusions that perpetuate it.
There is joy to be found in understanding the truth of our experience, and the transience of joy is part of that truth. Recognising that the pursuit of happiness as a future permanent state (rather than ‘things’ in general) is ‘hopeless’ can open up our awareness to the joy available in each moment as it passes through our experience. Happiness isn’t found in the future or the past, but in each now. So is sadness. We don’t need to expend so much effort to avoid feeling sad when we understand that the next moment has just as much potential for happiness as sadness - we just have to look for it. Sadness enables us to connect to the world with awareness, integrity and patience so much more fully than if we strive only for happiness (and vice versa).
It is the privilege of life to be responsive. I would not want to be happy at the death of a parent, or indifferent. Loss is the corollary of value.