this week, i:
- was offered to have a tattoo paid for by a superior at my workplace
- sneered at tourists that i heard speak english (and then proceeded to hate myself)
- ate escargot, foie gras, and quenelle
- pledged that i would be able to pull off high heel sneakers and red lips by the end of the year (a la frenchies)
- realized that i wasn't universally funny (aka the jokes that fly in florida don't fly in france)
- decided that i like stella artois better when it's in a 1:1 ratio with grenadine
- fell in love with a city (it's official)
i actually attack the concept of happiness. the idea that—i don't mind people being happy—but the idea that everything we do is part of the pursuit of happiness seems to me a really dangerous idea and has led to a contemporary disease in western society, which is fear of sadness. it's a really odd thing that we're now seeing people saying "write down three things that made you happy today before you go to sleep" and "cheer up" and "happiness is our birthright" and so on. we're kind of teaching our kids that happiness is the default position. it's rubbish. wholeness is what we ought to be striving for and part of that is sadness, disappointment, frustration, failure; all of those things which make us who we are. happiness and victory and fulfillment are nice little things that also happen to us, but they don't teach us much. everyone says we grow through pain and then as soon as they experience pain they say, "quick! move on! cheer up!" i'd like just for a year to have a moratorium on the word "happiness" and to replace it with the word "wholeness." ask yourself, "is this contributing to my wholeness?" and if you're having a bad day, it is.
- hugh mackay
