I'm overthinking this...

[kierthos]

Okay, so at work last night, in the midst of a whanging headache, I noticed one of the audiobooks we try to sell (I swear, I've sold maybe a dozen in the last 2 years, and I doubt the other shifts move too many more of the stupid things). Anyway, most of the audiobooks we carry are crap like "Win Every Argument" or "How to be a better Salesman in 5 EASY STEPS". Crap like that.

This one, however, was titled "Be Happy For No Reason".

And it got me thinking. If you're sad for no reason, it's called depression, and there's medical treatment, psychological treatment, and so forth. If you're angry for no reason, again, it's a mental problem where there's medicine or whatever.

So why is being happy for no reason considered to be a good thing? I mean, I would much rather have a reason to be happy, rather then go through my life all smiles and joy and shit with nothing to back it up. Seems to me that being happy for no reason is just as much a mental ailment as depression or constant rage or whatever.

Not like I'm going to buy the crap book anyway...

Comments

[alexsala.livejournal.com]

Isn't being happy for no reason likely to get you profiled by Homeland inSecurity at the airport or mall? Is that really a good thing?

Generally, being happy for no reason makes me think of the stereotypes around Down's syndrome children... "they may be handicapped/retarded, but at least they're happy!"

[jdack.livejournal.com]

Being happy all the time for no reason does have a medical definition in my special MD book: Extremely irritating personality disorder.

I'm with Droopy: hello all you happy people. now get fucked.

[the-corruption.livejournal.com]

If you can't see why being happy for no reason is a GOOD thing, well, there's no goddamn help for you I suppose.

And I'm not currently on MY happy pills either.

You know, asian cultures call this sort of thing, "Enlightenment". Everyone respects the buddhist monks, and they're happy, what makes it wrong for us westerners?

You know, TShirtHell has a new site "Happy Shirts". I know what to get you for X-mas now.

[kierthos.livejournal.com]

I have no problem with being happy when there's a reason to be happy. But if things are just cruising along, as it were, in neutral, I'm not going to go around with a daffy smile on my face.

And those Buddhist monks are up to something. I can tell.

[the-corruption.livejournal.com]

See, it's the failure of perception to suggest that any individual has NOTHING to be happy about. Personally, I believe it is simply ego, or arrogance, that convinced some people that things are at their worst, it couldn't get any worse, and fail to appreciate what is going for them.

It is Murphy's primary law, Things can always get worse. This law works great in practice, even to the point of metaphysically taunting those who verbally dismiss it.

That, added with just a basic lack of appreciation for things, life in general, that compounds this psychosis into a culture. I believe the rest of the world calls thise sort of behavior "Ugly American". It is simply taking everyone, and everything for granted.

But for whatever reason people choose to do this sort of thing to themselves, I refuse to. Do as you wish, just don't expect sympathy for your incessant whining, that's my only advice.

You know, this mentality, with some eyeliner, has a name. It's called "Goth" or "Emo".

Certainly YOU don't think of yourself as Emo, do you?

[kierthos.livejournal.com]

No, I am not emo.

And, yes, I am acquainted with Murphy's Law. I work third shift at a copy center. Me and Murphy are on a first name basis.