Despite what the latest Instagram post or the happy-clappy gurus on Facebook chant every morning, we can not always be happy, shit happens and always will.
The thing is without meaningful pain we can not and will not suffer enough to learn lessons and to be determined to move forward.
Suffering without meaning equals despair and that can bit be sustained by anyone, but if you’ve read Frankl’s “man search for meaning” you’ll know he survived unimaginable pain and suffering because he had a purpose. The greater the meaning, the lower or even no despair. Chip Conley’s “Emotional Equation” book explains it so well, definitely worth a read.
Happiness is peddled as something we need to strive for as it makes money and often happiness is linked to material consumption, working harder, achieving grades etc.
Of course, happiness is good, but so is pain too, well meaningful pain.
