Is your newsfeed filled with memes about "Don't do what doesn't please you" and "If something insults your soul, leave it"...and "If it doesn't make you happy, walk away".....because mine is. There are dozens if not hundreds of these snappy little sayings...and I couldn't figure out for the longest time why they made me uneasy.
Because, they do. They fill me with a sense of disquiet, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.
Until today.
These memes...these "Your happiness is supreme" memes are re-enforcing selfishness and conceit. They are teaching that one's personal idea of being happy should be put above all else.
Now, I'm not saying that we should be miserable, unhappy people....slogging through life day after day. I'm not saying that people should stay in abusive relationships, be they physical, emotional, spiritual, etc. (IF you are in such a relationship...get help now. You deserve better.)
I'm not saying that people should stay in jobs they hate, or remain in bad behavior ruts that are keeping them from achieving dreams. Those are all situations that need to be looked at, reflected upon and action taken to resolve them. And I'm sure some of those memes are meant for just such situations....but many are not.
Many of these memes infer:
'Are you bored in your relationship? Move on."
"Hate your responsibilities? Get rid of them."
"Have annoying family or friends. Dump them."
"Be happy, at whatever the cost."
But you see, my personal happiness is not the most important thing in my life.
My faith doesn't always make me happy; often it challenges me and makes me uncomfortable. I'm not going to dump my faith when it is less then peachy, I'm going to study, pray and grow in faith.
My marriage, though amongst the best I know, isn't always "butterflys and unicorns, and roaring bonfires." There are days when we're tired, or stressed, and those are the days we go out of our way to serve one another and take care of one another. Because bonfires go out, but a carefully fed fire warms the home and the heart.
I have friends and family who frustrate me and who I frustrate. But we love each other, so we work with each other, and accept one another. We help one another...we don't abandon each other.
And life IS responsibilities. To your family. To your social groups. To your job. To your community. To life itself. We have a responsibility to try and make this world a little better. To right wrongs. To stand firm in the breach. To care. To value.
These memes that say one's personal happiness is what is most important are telling us to resort back to the selfishness of childhood. There are more important things in life than chasing your own desires. You will find that happiness, joy and contentment come and rest in your life and in your heart when you make life meaningful. When you invest in people instead of walking away. When you make your communities a better place by helping others.
Don't shirk the very things in life that make life worth living just because of a rough patch, boredom or a wanderlust. The grass may look greener someplace else, but that's just because you haven't been watering your own.
Because, they do. They fill me with a sense of disquiet, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.
Until today.
These memes...these "Your happiness is supreme" memes are re-enforcing selfishness and conceit. They are teaching that one's personal idea of being happy should be put above all else.
Now, I'm not saying that we should be miserable, unhappy people....slogging through life day after day. I'm not saying that people should stay in abusive relationships, be they physical, emotional, spiritual, etc. (IF you are in such a relationship...get help now. You deserve better.)
I'm not saying that people should stay in jobs they hate, or remain in bad behavior ruts that are keeping them from achieving dreams. Those are all situations that need to be looked at, reflected upon and action taken to resolve them. And I'm sure some of those memes are meant for just such situations....but many are not.
Many of these memes infer:
'Are you bored in your relationship? Move on."
"Hate your responsibilities? Get rid of them."
"Have annoying family or friends. Dump them."
"Be happy, at whatever the cost."
But you see, my personal happiness is not the most important thing in my life.
My faith doesn't always make me happy; often it challenges me and makes me uncomfortable. I'm not going to dump my faith when it is less then peachy, I'm going to study, pray and grow in faith.
My marriage, though amongst the best I know, isn't always "butterflys and unicorns, and roaring bonfires." There are days when we're tired, or stressed, and those are the days we go out of our way to serve one another and take care of one another. Because bonfires go out, but a carefully fed fire warms the home and the heart.
I have friends and family who frustrate me and who I frustrate. But we love each other, so we work with each other, and accept one another. We help one another...we don't abandon each other.
And life IS responsibilities. To your family. To your social groups. To your job. To your community. To life itself. We have a responsibility to try and make this world a little better. To right wrongs. To stand firm in the breach. To care. To value.
These memes that say one's personal happiness is what is most important are telling us to resort back to the selfishness of childhood. There are more important things in life than chasing your own desires. You will find that happiness, joy and contentment come and rest in your life and in your heart when you make life meaningful. When you invest in people instead of walking away. When you make your communities a better place by helping others.
Don't shirk the very things in life that make life worth living just because of a rough patch, boredom or a wanderlust. The grass may look greener someplace else, but that's just because you haven't been watering your own.
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