Civilization, Thermodynamics, and 7-Eleven : “Man has never really solved problems so much as exchange one set for another, and what we call progress has simply been a series of shrewd trades that, while never reaching utopia, have at least left us with more desirable issues than the ones before.” Everything has advantages and disadvantages, and we attempt to maximize our advantages while minimizing our disadvantages. But you’ll notice that the disadvantages are never really eliminated. This is all well and good, but why do so few people see it? Its almost like we were raised to be unhappy. We’re shown what we don’t have, we learn that success means winning trophies and money, and that happiness relies on how much stuff we have. We’re expected to live our life in constant, multi-orgasmic bliss, and if we find ourself unhappy, then we’re a failure. Of course, since we don’t live in a Utopia, we will always be unhappy, and thus we will always be seeking new trophies to make us happy. Striving for self-improvement isn’t wrong (its quite honorable), but it won’t necissarily make you happier. All too often, we set our sights on that one mystical thing that, if we could just achieve it, would make us happy. The only problem is, if you can’t be happy now, chances are, you won’t be happy in the future, even if you do achieve your goals.
To paraphrase Dennis Miller, happiness doesn’t always require resolution, but rather an in the moment, carefree acceptance of the fact that the worst day of being alive is better than any day of being dead. Happiness isn’t settling for less, its just not being miserable with what you’ve got. So reach for the stars, but remember, you’re just trading one set of disadvantages with another, and you might not be any happier than you are now…