Do we need unhappiness in our lives? Are we incapable of somehow ridding ourselves of unhappy thoughts such that they no longer exist? Is unhappiness some sort of cathartic expression we need for happiness? What is unhappiness? I think, in order to better understand what makes me happy, I must first understand what happiness is. More importantly, what is unhappiness? I feel as though unhappiness is a much more concrete place to start. You see, whenever one is happy, one does not identify with this world. In essence, you become other-worldly. But, when we are unhappy- that is when we feel most human. Rarely am I so connected to this world as when I am unhappy. So, unhappiness seemed like an easier concept to grasp. When are we unhappy? What makes us unhappy? For some, it is knowing that there will always be another that is better than them. For others, it is the fear that derives from lack of partnership. And still others, it is the injustice of everyday life. So, unhappiness can boil down to three things: fear (uncertainty), injustice, and the inconsequential nature of one's self. Really, all of these things can be seen as the ego. Primarily, unhappiness is a selfish emotion. One cannot feel unhappiness for others (though you can feel things such as empathy or sympathy), but one cannot intrinsically feel the exact same unhappiness as the other. Therefore, unhappiness is solitary. We cannot successfully communicate it across to others because they do not have our experiences. And, yet, we all feel unhappiness. At this point in history, there are nearly 7 billion people on this Earth, and we have all felt unhappiness. Whereas one child can feel unhappiness over materialism (i.e. not getting a manufactured toy), there is another child bemoaning the fact that he will not eat tonight. I am not here to belittle that which makes one unhappy. But to have such a plethora of reasons is boggling. Unhappiness is selfish. While the word "selfish" comes with inherently negative connotations, it is not a detestable thing for one to be unhappy. If unhappiness is selfish and solitary, how do we go about changing it? Or, does it even need to be changed at all? Perhaps, like the idea of antinomy, unhappiness must exist in order for happiness to survive. Would we have conceptions of happiness if we were not first introduced to misery? Let's, for the moment, say that we were to go about changing unhappiness. In order for this to happen, we must find a way to create effluence (i.e. the pouring out of emotion). We must create a channel in which to truly relate to another human being, to transcend the egotistical nature of unhappiness. While it is not likely to find another human being with the exact same experiences as you, there may be the possibility for effluence. If possible, can one create a bridge of understanding that precludes the inherent differences between us? This bridge, unfortunately, seems unlikely because it these bridges of understanding are always marred by empathy, sympathy, pity, and judgment. While these four emotions are not necessarily bad (we must still retain all four to interact with others), they are the four horseman of effluence. These emotions inherently prescribe outwardness to the party that is trying to create effluence. There must be oneness in order to achieve effluence; otherwise, effluence becomes confession. So, it seems unlikely that we can change happiness. Karl Jaspers once said, “When man faces the tragic, he liberates himself from it.” Then- should we make attempts to embrace our unhappiness as a way to escape it? Embracing implies the presupposition of acceptance. This seems a far more plausible path for our unhappiness. Because unhappiness is derived from the self, it should be settled by the self. While this seems a bit Stoic, one must realize the enduring nature of time. Though we experience regret (what I refer to as latent unhappiness), there is simply nothing than can be done about it. Time travel, wishing, etc. these are all methods of redress, but they fail at providing any action. Therefore, regret can be seen as a personal purgatory. We entertain these ideas of redress, yet we are still aware of their lack of plausibility. Self-torture is what regret is. It does seem far better to accept that which we cannot change. Though it is often not what we desire to hear, it is the truth. Perhaps this is the least meaningful conclusion one can come to, but unhappiness must be accepted. Unhappiness must exist and we will all inevitably experience it. There is no avoiding, no fixing, no changing. We must accept that there are aspects of human life that are daunting and challenging. However, unhappiness cannot solely exist on its own. If you are capable of feeling your own unhappiness, then you have experienced happiness. Therefore, human existence is not solely tragic. Unhappiness begins and ends with the individual.
No comments:
Post a Comment