The insiders guide to happiness

I guess my struggle to get the layout changed will continue, actually my parents read this shit and commended me on how great it was, but then again they are my parents so what were they meant to say? Plus I think they were drunk making it seem more intense as they started saying things like ‘we didn’t think you had it in you!’ seeing as the praise was cool and kind of conceited, though they were genuinely happy to have seen me achieve something as simple as writing for a student magazine, and seeing as they thought highly of me but not this highly I got to wondering what exactly is happiness?

To the defined individuals of this world who for all accounts will be unable to answer this question because I can’t ask everyone, but I can generalize the statement to find a degree of what makes me happy and what to do about achieving happiness thus to just argue the point that we shouldn’t sacrifice ourselves and our dreams just because its better for others and better to please other people.

I mean happiness varies so radically from person to person. I remember this one program on years ago called ‘The insiders guide to happiness’ one of the few decent shows TVNZ has ever had on; I mean not everything can be as great as ‘Shortland Street’ but anyway this program dealt with the question in an interesting way by offering all the characters at the start of the show as people who were not exactly happy but ok with their own unhappiness but over the course of the show they changed dramatically into doing things so very individual to themselves thus allowing for happiness to enter their lives through these simple actions.

I guess it was said best when said ‘all roads lead towards the same blocked intersection’ meaning that we all die and to a lesser extent pay taxes so why not lead our short lives the way we want? Or is it that pleasing the system and pleasing everyone we care about makes it difficult to do exactly as we please? (I do sound all self-help Tony Robbins right now but I assure you this isn’t meant to read like this, it does sound kind of preachy which isn’t the intent).

I guess it has been best described by all the stories that we have heard right? The ones which someone lead a life that was fulfilling to the bank balance and the material nature of life but not the inner self and for all good intentions they got lost along the way so cut the shit and became a monk or something like that.

Now I am saying that’s happiness to some people just not everyone I think it is just time we all cut the shit and stopped being something because it mirrors television or something that others want from us like to be a hipster cool guy or a lawyer or doctor as mum and dad want us to be.

I mean, look, travel if you want to and it makes you happy, go clubbing or don’t, break up with your respective other if they pull you down and make you unhappy and don’t break the law in all of this because, look ,I am not advocating lawlessness just that we can do the little things for ourselves and stop worrying what he she or they will think because if they truly get you and are part of you for the rest of this short life that we lead then they will all get the fuck over it.

I’m going to ride the bus later because that makes me happy and also go and eat and mango because it reminds me of Africa.

I’m suggesting that if anyone reads these things just go do something that makes you happy whatever it may be… cool.

Somewhere the person you want to be does exist, on the other side of hard work, heartache and belief… The persistence of a dream is all you really need to hold on to.

(Oh I didn’t write this last bit it just seems to fit)

Ollie