The Happiest Place

A fascination with non fiction essays is the inspiration. Unhappiness is the muse. Essays aren't boring. Cross my heart.

Going to your "happy place" has been the catch-phrase for every cliche hippy and psychiatrist we've ever seen or met.  Yet many people until their death day cannot find it and die, well, unhappy.  But why?  Did they lose the map?  Perhaps they didn't have Toto to help them find the way.  Regardless of the reason, many people today (maybe one of them is you) can't find the place where ponies are sliding down rainbows into a pool of sunshine while basking in the glory of their friendship with the other ponies.  Yet again, why can't you? Why can't we?  Are we not meant to be happy?  Were we destined to being the Grouch to everyone's Big Bird?  I think not.  What I do think is that the term "happiest place" does not exist, but other happy places do.  And why do we need one anyways?  Where are they?  What do they look like?  Well, this is what I think.

 

A reason for existence has always been on man's mind.  So why does a "happy place" need to exist?  To be honest, our lives are far from ideal.  Whether it's problems with your significant other, a jerky boss, grades that just aren't making the grade, eating disorders, psychological issues, someone peeing in your Wheaties, STDs, crimes you're being convicted for, cancer, getting bologna for lunch for the fourth time this week, or maybe just missing the bus, life isn't peachy keen.  It sucks to be honest.  But what's life without struggles?  Exactly.  But what's life without happiness?  Even more suckiness.   Who doesn't like being happy?  I certainly don't.  So in short, to escape from our existence, we like to go somewhere to escape these troubles.  But where is it? 

 

Happy places exist, there's no denying that.  But where are they.  How do we create them?  They're possibly harder to discover than a good tie to go meet your girlfriend's parents in (I personally do not have this problem because I am not a man nor do I have a girlfriend).  Opinions are the world wide divider and what a happy place is definitely subject to opinions because people's opinion of what makes them happy changes more than people change their socks.  To some it may be being with their loved ones, being in a ball pit, being in a ball pit with multiple people doing activities that cannot be named because this stays at a PG rating, having some ice cream, religion or God or some combination, listening to their favorite band, getting a raise, saving a life, not dying, getting that piece of spinach out of your teeth before meeting someone important, or maybe just doing something worthwhile.  Whatever it is, there are so many definitions of what make people happy.  And when we think of a place to go whether physically or mentally they usually incorporate these things.  I think that is pretty rad. 

 

"Happiest" was mentioned previously, and because of its "est" ending, it means the purest form of happy.  But when are we ever like that for more than a day?  Humans were not meant to be always happy, yet we need a happy place to bring our attitudes back to sunshine.  Amusement parks have always used "Happiest place on earth" to attract people, but usually the long lines, high prices and kids peeing in the wave pool are the opposite of what consumers are looking for.  Personally, "happiest" doesn't exist.  At least not when comparing all the places known to man now and to be discovered later. Heaven maybe, but hey, who knows yet?  I always tell people to aim high, but sometimes you need to really think about being totally happy.  Monotony is boring after awhile and after awhile, your ideas of what make you happy change.  No shame in that, but again, humans are constantly reinventing themselves (if they can do it to the wheel, they certainly can do it to their own thoughts, don't you think?).  Constantly searching to find what makes us happy is something we always do whether we realize it or not. 

 

Here is a basic example:

 

Sally likes ice cream.  She seriously likes this stuff.  Chocolate chip mint is her favorite flavor.  It makes her happy. *applaud*

Lately she has been trying different things. No harm in that.  Now her favorite is pomegranate.  That makes her happy.  Chocolate...not so much now.

 

A simple change can make all the difference, and it doesn't just apply to insignificant choices.  Constantly changing is an aspect about humans that makes us unique.  We can reinvent our definitions of happiness as easily as turing on or off a light.  There is nothing wrong with that at all.  It's in our nature to change.

 

So far we have discussed that there are happy places (but not happiest because we constantly change what makes us happy and sometimes we keep it constant) because our lives are far from perfect because nothing really is, not even our happy places.  So the big million dollar question: How do we get there?  There are plenty of answers, don't get me wrong.  Perhaps it is the search for it.  Because how often do you plan a trip to visit Auntie Sherry Ann and get detoured and end up riding on the back of a chicken truck (this has never happened to me).  It may not be pleasant, but maybe on the way you made a friend that means the world to you and being with them pleases you the most.  Maybe going into college undecided opened you up to something like music theory or biochemistry and studying it makes you so joyous. 

 

Maybe it isn't in the journey.  Maybe it's doing what we love most.  Knowing what that is a totally different topic reserved for a future essay.  Maybe getting constantly promoted makes you feel tingly inside.  Maybe helping people is your calling and nothing else could fulfill you more.  Who knows?  I certainly don't.  But isn't that the beauty in it?  No one but you know what gives you the utmost joy and it's all for you.  The map, the key, the compass, it's all ours.  Perhaps, for some, it is not holding the key for themselves, but it is the act of giving someone else in need of a happy place the key to yours in hopes that they will forget about the day their dog pooped in their shoes.

Author's Note

You may not agree. Maybe you do.

Reviews

[J. E. Barry]

Motivatingly lovely, Kimmie. Nice to see your back in the swing of things (unlike me) in posting things on the site.
This was, as usual, profound, fluid, and easy to read. And, for that matter, it is perhaps an invaluable read for those of us that see the glass as half empty. If anything, you will make me reconsider when I use comparatives and superlatives.

[Vincent Weathers]

"What I do think is that the term "happiest place" does not exist, but other happy places do. And why do we need one anyways? Where are they? What do they look like?" -- This is a good thesis for this essay-it specifies exactly what is goint to be explored for the reader. Because it is this way, the organization should follow in this format, which I noticed that it did--which is good. The organization, I believe is quite logical, but also there seemed to be a suprise for me in the essay.
Disprove "happy places" exist---> Enlighten on the aspect of the substitute of "happy places"---> re-defining the main idea...

"Happy places exist, there's no denying that. But where are they." --needs a question mark, rather than period. Voice asks a question, than a statement.
"..happiness as easily as turing on or off a light" spelling error--'turning'

"...forget about the day their dog pooped in their shoes." --gross, I can't imagine not paying attention and stepping in it.. squish! That's just wrong, very unlucky. Thankfully that never happened to me. *i have two dogs* (my shoes get chewed up... : ( }

I hope this was helpful---thanks for sharing.