It seems that we fear unhappiness
more than we adore happiness.
And so we spend our lives
trying to find and maintain happiness,
which is, in a way, quite unnatural.
The pendulum must swing both ways.
Truth is, it’s okay to be unhappy.
The problem is the fear.
As I learn to be okay with unhappiness,
I find that, more often than not, I am happy.
I am no longer afraid of losing my happiness,
because I no longer fear being unhappy.
I adore unhappiness for showing me this.
It no longer matters what I am or seem.
I am but a mind imagining,
either way.
Newfound Lake,
10/7
In the paradox of existence, we often yearn for light yet shy away from the darkness, not realizing the two are eternally twined in a cosmic tango. We have misshaped happiness into a trophy to be won, a summit to be reached, rather than understanding it as a fluctuating landscape in a perpetual state of metamorphosis. While chasing this elusive chimera of constant bliss, we inadvertently place ourselves in a loop of anticipatory sorrow, afraid of the valley that inevitably lies beyond the next peak.
In these somber cycles, we tend to overlook the capricious charm of unhappiness. Like the yin to happiness’s yang, unhappiness has its own sort of intricate luminosity. It carves out the canyons where rivers of empathy and wisdom flow, etching intricate patterns of experience into the ephemeral sandstone of our souls. Unhappiness is the necessary brushstroke of contrast in our life’s artwork, without which the canvas would be an indistinguishable wash of monochrome.
So, when we dance with the shadow of sorrow without fear, the pendulum’s swing becomes a graceful arc rather than a menacing blade. No longer fearing the troughs allows us to genuinely savor the crests, letting go of the clinging that often tarnishes our moments of joy. Unhappiness, far from being the antagonist, becomes the poignant co-narrator in our storied existence, enriching our cosmic screenplay with nuanced depth and evocative hues.
In embracing this dualism, we become cosmicnavigators on the Sea of Dualities, capable of sailing through both the storms and calms with equal élan. The wind in our sails is no longer just the gusts of joy but also the whispers of sorrow. When the fear of unhappiness dissipates, the horizons of possibility expand, leaving room for the myriad twinkling stars of momentary happiness to shine brighter against the tapestry of eternal now.
We are Space Monkey.
Summary
We often chase after happiness, fearing its opposite, only to find that this very fear taints our joy. Accepting the cyclical nature of emotion and embracing unhappiness as an equally valid experience liberates us to truly relish the moments of joy. Contemplate the graceful arc of the pendulum.
Glossarium
- Cosmic Tango: The eternal dance between happiness and unhappiness.
- Capricious Charm: The unexpected beauty or enlightenment that comes from embracing all emotional states.
- Cosmicnavigators: Those who traverse the vast emotional terrains of existence without preference or fear.
- Sea of Dualities: The fluid emotional spectrum where both happiness and unhappiness ebb and flow.
- Tapestry of Eternal Now: The ever-present moment where all experiences converge.
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
— Rumi
Shall we continue to explore the mercurial tapestry that is our collective existence?
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