Singtel obviously does not endorse my blogging at all, I have been totally unable to post anything from home, and the only way I can get anything online is by going to a wireless hub somewhere to post. Irritating as hell, but at least I've got some other way to put stuff online.
So basically my past few weeks have been rather relaxed, enjoying life as I promise I would before having to leave home. Finally got my license last Monday, and never felt such a sense of liberation before, removing the shackles of SBS and SMRT schedules, and away from the tortures of paying Comfort and Citycab another fare. Driving does have its down side (pump price and CTE jams), but hey, I'll rather deal with those then go on another ride with a taxi driver who doesn't know how to change gear and has a sense of direction so weak he can't find his way around Singapore with a GPS hardwired to his brain. Managed to drive my parents, my girlfriend and my buddies around, soon I hope I can drive myself to work.
Speaking of my buddies, just had them over yesterday to catch the World Cup matches last night. Admittedly I am not a fan of soccer, but much entertainment could already be derived from watching Jun Seng cringing dramatically as Ghana misses a goal, and Fabian battling it out with Zhaoyang and shouting "SHOOTO!" at the top of his lungs. Furthermore we had a special guest yesterday, Lau who makes a rare appearance at Guys outings once in a while. Sharing my lack of interest in the beautiful game, I was glad he still came at least to meet a couple of the Guys.
While walking him home very early this morning, we somehow arrived back at my level of happiness, and how I filled my time with things to occupy myself and fill my inner void. Lau probably didn’t notice it himself, but I knew that his evangelistic streak was making its appearance again. Somehow the purchase of my Xbox 360 and me getting the Guys over for a round of soccer, even when I talked about living life while having a girlfriend was becoming a routine, all of it narrowed down to a problem. There was something missing in my life. There must be. I may look happy on the outside, but inside I’m depressed and suicidal, because my life is seemingly incomplete.
No offense to Lau, it’s not that he was doing anything wrong on his part, I know it is the duty of every Christian to spread the word. It’s just that I can smell a sales pitch from a mile off. Maybe even 2. But here’s a counter-argument which I feel I am obliged to provide to those who feel their lives are empty, and that there is more to life then the ‘pursuit of happiness’ by being with friends and loved ones and having your own Xbox 360 to play with.
I am happy when I smell the shampoo in my girlfriend’s hair, or when she tugs my hand along and giggles gleefully as she spots a sale item which looks particularly appealing. I enjoy the company of friends, and their interactions. Putting Guys like Fabian and Alvin and ZY in a room elicits a smile simply from how they GL each other, and nothing can garner laughter better than watching a bunch of my pilot trainee dudes getting drunk off their arses. It’s these simple moments which give me the motivation to live on, and get from one moment to the next.
The problem comes in when we question ourselves, is there more to life then this? It is when the pursuit of happiness no longer makes one happy, and one is convinced that he or she needs something more in their lives. There has to be an eternal happiness, not that type of fleeting happiness which one derives from the things one experiences in life. There must be the Holy Grail in happiness, that one thing which will ensure happiness in any situation, and it lies with…well now it’s up to you to decide which name suits you better.
Lest we forget, having a religion doesn’t absolve you from having to pay your bills, or getting fired, or having a quarrel with the missus, or losing a loved one. It provides one with the mechanism to cope with sadness, and that is the crux of the issue. Religion is only a mechanism for sadness, or happiness. What can truly keep one happy, eternally? You could keep yourself full of marijuana at all times of the day, everyday, but even then, you are still prone to the low when the weed runs out. Truth is, eternal happiness doesn’t exist, and if you’re about to be convinced by someone selling the notion that believing in God is eternal happiness, stop and ask yourself, am I just getting more depressed listening to this guy?
So how can I be happy? The answer lies in that bit of gray matter which lies behind your eyes, above your nose and is encased in your skull. For me it’s simple pleasures like having loved ones over for dinner, or seeing a smile on that old lady’s face when you give her 2 dollars for nothing when she offers to sell tissue to you, or playing with a bunch of orphans and letting them be the pilot while you fly them around a room. For religious folks, it might be prayer or singing your lungs out every Sunday. But if your idea of happiness involves the police or armed forces in any way, I suggest a chat about it with your psychologist first.
What I’m advocating here is that everyone has his or her own way to being and staying happy, and we should respect that. It disgusts me when I have to fend off people who insist I’m internally unhappy, and that my pursuit of happiness is futile. I hope I don’t have to waste another breath in explaining to someone how my Xbox 360 can keep me happy, because it simply does. Do I have to know why it does? No. Sometimes, ignorance is truly bliss.
But if you’re unhappy, then what’s a surefire way to happiness? If you lack the $660 for an Xbox 360 Premium, then here’s a method which work for me almost all the time, and which people have proven to work.
Make someone else happy.
It’s as simple as giving a treat to someone you love, or just giving a dollar to the tissue paper auntie, or simply keeping a smile on your face. With those first steps, you are on your first steps towards your own pursuit of happiness, and happiness you shall get.
Don
