V Day Feels

Hello my name is Aarushi and I like happy people.

So, last week was Valentine’s Day ;my husband and me decided to celebrate by going out on the town (we buy into the consumerism of almost everything karvachauth to valentines). It was a thoroughly romantic evening with seating for two, meals designed for two and everyone around us divided in twos. Our valentines although got extended when both of us caught a stomach infection because of our very posh and very pricey meal. If I am being honest battling the stomach flu, which included projectile vomiting and fighting for turns to the washroom was as romantic if not more than our orchestrated valentine date.

As I was rolling in bed going through my various social media feeds, I came across a post by my favourite travel blogger where they were trying to defend some nasty comments about the bloggers being happy always. It made me wonder how these days it’s perfectly acceptable to be offended by other people’s happiness or if we may say seeming happiness.

When we were children often someone would ask why we are upset in case we seemed even a little sullen, as we grow older its seems alright to ask seeing some photo or some post – are they really that happy? As adults we justify being busy, being stressed but we are unable to justify someone being happy for two continuous days. People have grown so comfortable in their anxious state that being happy is seen as the big extraordinary. I do understand that social media builds a false reality of perfect moments with no emphasis on the fact they are effectively just a piece of someone’s life and not their whole life .A moment caught in the camera, even if it reflects a staged happiness still does not warrant our cynicism to doubt it.

In our life being happy is not a given, no matter our age, work or means in life; it needs a conscious and continuous effort. Then why instead of celebrating it in others we judge with suspicion. Are we questioning their happiness or envious of our lack thereof. If it really is envy, then why are we so scared to pursue happiness? Why are we unable to balance what we want with what we have; to try and find some degree of contentment; enough for us to find a modicum of joy in our everyday?

Life is such that our problems are endlessly complex and left as such never will we have time to enjoy the sunsets in our own backyards. As long as we normalize our daily struggle, which will never give way to calm seas, or understand the subtleties of our own feelings we will never be able to comprehend the perceived happiness of others no matter what.