Shawn Maxam decides to embrace the brighter side of life.
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
-Helen Keller
Recently I had the awesome privilege of seeing my nephew. He is the son of the man, my brother, for whom this blog is named after. Although I miss my brother terribly I now accept and embrace that life can still be beautiful. Yes life is ugly, mean, unfair and downright evil at times but for all of us there is great potential for life to be incredible.
I like being positive and feeling happy. Of course it’s impossible to feel this way all the time but since when do we have to be perfect emotional creatures? That’s absurd. I definitely support people acknowledging “bad” feelings such as anger, sadness, frustration and jealousy but I’m not sure we should wallow in them. I consider the aforementioned emotions as painful and I’m not a fan of pain.
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I believe people often overreact or behave pessimistically to the most basic minutia. A few examples include – long lines in Starbucks, being cut off in traffic or impolite co-workers. There are far heavier things to worry about if that is your desire. New Orleans isn’t rebuilt, fifty percent of NYC students don’t graduate high-school, there are multiple wars in the Middle East etc. The key word here is perspective.
We live in an age of mass consumption and insatiable desire. Here are some examples: I have a car but it’s not an BMW. I have an iPhone 4 but damn I need an iPad. I love my girlfriend but I’m not sure if I can only sleep with one woman forever. The truth is satisfaction actually resides within yourself.
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Unless I’m facing heartache, tragedy or loss I rather look on the brighter side of life. Divorce is a immensely difficult process. The death of a loved one is another painful aspect of the human experience. These situations, to new a few, deserve the intense emotional investment necessary to overcome the trauma of those experiences. But in your day to day existence I believe a care-free attitude is more practical.
I have a wonderful wife, several incredible friends, amazing siblings and a good friendship with my parents. These are the things that really matter to me. I respect anyone who describes themselves as a cynic, pessimist, realist or even an idealist. I have shades of all those adjectives in my personality as well but I fully embrace a whole happy-go-lucky approach to life.
Please share this with friends, enemies and temporary allies alike.
Thank you so much for reading, sharing and commenting. It made my day!
R.I.P. SKH
Flickr image via Fuzzy Images
About S. Maxam
I agree. This sheds light on one of the major byproducts of the emerging monoculture. Desensitized consumers, and the state of feeling perpetually incomplete. So many companies count on us to buy their products to fill the perceived emptiness of our lives.
A key to being happy is the ability to put things into perspective. Problems that can only be had in the “First World” are a great example. They should be re-evaluated and compared to the problems of elsewhere.
Very good piece.
Thank you. I totally agree with your sentiment especially the First World problems phenomena. That is a perfect example of how often we don’t apply perspective.
Great insight Ryan.