I spend a lot of time thinking about happiness. Of course there's the medical benefit: happy people live longer & healthier lives. Or on the flipside, with my mind goes my body. And this isn't vudoo, the best example being depression being clinically shown to suppress the immune system.
But besides that, I just find that all my trains of thought lead to the same station: happiness. Despite being sick for 3 years (and unemployed), I constantly think about my career, my friends, my contributions to society, and what kind of person I want to be, all in relation to happiness. I'm sure most of you out there deal with the same dilemma: balancing practicality with self-realization, the ultimate goal for societies that have their basic needs met. But when I look around at how most of my 20-something friends approach their lives, our Jiminy Crickets couldn't be less alike.
Of course, I can completely relate to the ravenous ambition carried like a cross across the backs of my peers until CFIDS molted away my last success-at-all-cost bird feather. CFIDS not only took away my abilities, it forced a change of attitude. When I stress, even minimally, my body cannot handle it and sends out warning signs with less delicacy than Glenn Beck. This is a subtle point, but I'll try to illustrate. I can read leisurely for an hour and feel fine, but if a friend wants me to immediately read an article so that we can discuss it, I'll start sweating profusely and wire up like I just downed 5 Redbulls. When I tried taking a class at a community college, I relapsed (got a lot sicker) from otherwise ordinary stress of deadlines and exams. And as I mentioned before, even knowing I have an appointment the next morning makes me lose more sleep you'd think was humanly impossible.
My body is at its tipping point 24/7.
But besides that, I just find that all my trains of thought lead to the same station: happiness. Despite being sick for 3 years (and unemployed), I constantly think about my career, my friends, my contributions to society, and what kind of person I want to be, all in relation to happiness. I'm sure most of you out there deal with the same dilemma: balancing practicality with self-realization, the ultimate goal for societies that have their basic needs met. But when I look around at how most of my 20-something friends approach their lives, our Jiminy Crickets couldn't be less alike.
Of course, I can completely relate to the ravenous ambition carried like a cross across the backs of my peers until CFIDS molted away my last success-at-all-cost bird feather. CFIDS not only took away my abilities, it forced a change of attitude. When I stress, even minimally, my body cannot handle it and sends out warning signs with less delicacy than Glenn Beck. This is a subtle point, but I'll try to illustrate. I can read leisurely for an hour and feel fine, but if a friend wants me to immediately read an article so that we can discuss it, I'll start sweating profusely and wire up like I just downed 5 Redbulls. When I tried taking a class at a community college, I relapsed (got a lot sicker) from otherwise ordinary stress of deadlines and exams. And as I mentioned before, even knowing I have an appointment the next morning makes me lose more sleep you'd think was humanly impossible.
My body is at its tipping point 24/7.