Happiness is the word this society is constantly evolved around. Societies’ existence is because of happiness. I believe happiness is a terrible thing in my opinion. Happiness is temporary and you will always need that something in order to gain your happiness compared to joy where it is eternal. You will only need it once and you will always be joyful. This life has many temporary things that are thrown at you as a distraction to keep you off course.
My generation is attacked the most in this world because we are easily influenced by just about anything. They say if you're not happy go drink with your friends, smoke weed, it's healthy, go have fun and use a girl or guy for your own benefit. This world throws just about anything wrong at you and declares it good as long as it makes you happy. Drugs, alcohol, lust, fantasies always play a big role in this. This pandemic has taught me one thing and it's trying to feel better isn’t something you can fix by taking things from the outside. You have to fix it from finding things within. It’s like a rusted car, instead of actually scraping the rust off you continue to paint over it until the paint boils up and then you have to continuously repaint over it instead of fixing the problem itself. This world tells you basically not to fix the problem, but instead use
things that will temporarily make you feel better about yourself. I have heard of many different situations where “friends' ' tell their friends who just left a relationship that they need a rebound.
A rebound is basically a girl/ guy you use to make yourself feel better about the break-up and completely ignore the fact you are hurting inside. All the pain you feel from the aftermath of a devastating break-up you decide to block it out by living a fantasy “relationship” with someone who thinks you truly love them, but in reality you can barely love yourself and in that process you are making that person feel exactly how you feel. A Lot of girls on social media I see do the questionnaires and ask for other people’s opinions of themselves and constantly post selfies and expose their body just to hear another guy/ girl say how good you look. I know some guys do it too, but I see it more frivolously with girls. They already said you're beautiful, do you have to hear it for the 100th time again just to make yourself feel better about yourself? Opinions change and are like taking a pill, whenever you're sad or depressed you post pictures of yourself and want others to hype you up just to make you temporarily feel better when in reality you don’t truly love yourself at all.
Then a terrible guy comes around the corner making you feel good when in reality they are not truly interested in you, but you're so blind-sided that you take the bait. This has happened way too often with the people I care about and I try to tell them, but they continue to not listen even to their closest of friends. They care more about what the world says about them instead of people who actually know them. I remember I liked this girl and I couldn’t get over her for a long time. Immediately my friend told me I should go mess around with girls. This wasn’t coming from a guy it was coming from a girl and that blew my mind. I never did because I know
it’s not right and my morals and spirituality held me back as well. Plus I told myself I don’t need temporary happiness in order to fix the whole inside I needed something that was real. All my life I walked around with a hole in my heart and I continued to act as if it's ok when in reality it's not. In order to supposedly fix this hole I filled it up with temporary things that only made me feel complete during the moment. The lust of this world, friends, depressed music, everything the world had to offer I was interested in while some things I never strayed towards because my morals and spirituality kicked in. I say all this to say that no I don’t believe in Happiness and it’s just a toxic word used to convince others how to live their life. Everything in this world will never truly make you happy because all of this will fade away. A quote from Hosea Ballou states, “real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit.”
In order to pursue happiness in this world you must give up yourself, take up your cross and burn it to the ground. The Bible states in Luke 9:23, “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” God offers us a chance of Joy that is eternal everlasting peace with Him all in return for one thing. To believe in His son Jesus Christ and that He rose from the dead. The world offers temporary happiness during this life all for one thing in return and that is our very souls. Happiness is temporary while Joy is eternal. Yes we will all go through hardships in this life, but I choose to press on because I know my reward will be in Heaven in the end. Life is a race and the world is constantly trying to drag you down. The world wants your soul so bad they will even breed “runners” (people) in this life to match your speed and kick you with their spikes till you bleed and can’t continue. That is why God is here to give you that endurance and encourage you to continue to push. One thing I would like to say to
my generation and to the world is the things this world has to offer are all meant to trap your soul and keep you from achieving what God’s purpose is for your life.
Yes in the heat of the moment it may feel good, the happiness will start to kick in and that evil spirit will block out what is waiting for you on the other side which is death. The world doesn’t want you to truly fix your problems because as long as you are distracted by it you are still being held back. I rather would take my chances on what the world calls a hoax then continue to live this life of lies. Everyday is a spiritual battle inside my mind and for everyone else as well. The fact I constantly have to say no to the same thing is tiring and sometimes emotionally and physically draining, but I have no other choice. This is after all the world and I don’t expect it to get any easier than this. I expect it to get a lot harder and in order to face that I have to stay close to God. My question to you is are you willing to pursue happiness at the cost of your own soul? Are you willing to compromise your own morals in order to gain acceptance from others?
The world shuns good because good in this world is like a slap to the face for them reminding them how wrong they are. Don’t ever give up and settle for straight happiness. Never take things outside of yourself to try and fix something that is inside your spirit, ask God for help because people will change. Those people who say you're pretty today might not say the same tomorrow. Those people who say they love you forever might not feel the same next week. Jesus though will never ever change. You owe it to yourself to pursue something even greater than that of which is in this world. This pandemic is rough, but the fact your still breathing means God is not done with you. No matter what you do in this life if you're still breathing, here in this world
every opportunity is designed for you to get even closer to God. Yes it is painful, the process, because God is literally going against the laws of this world put up by Satan and bringing you into a whole other meaning. You are going to get hatred and people are going to leave your side, but remember God never will. So no I do not believe in Happiness because what I believe in is something more than that which is temporary. I believe in something that is eternal.
29 comments:
I'm not that religious but thank you for sharing your ideas. I see the word "happiness" differently now. I understand how you feel about looking for something that isn't temporary but eternal. It made me think about finding my own eternal happiness. Thanks for teaching me something new! I'll definitely be thinking more about this.
Preach Arnold! This truth is needed so deeply in today's society, where morality is extremely skewed. What "feels right" at the time can leave some irreversible consequences. I love how you mentioned that constantly saying no to the same thing can be tiring, but it's only temporary! Thank you for writing this.
I really liked your blog!! it was so accurate with how people do things that are bad that they think is gonna bring them happiness.
I like how you backed up your evidence with scripture from the bible. Malachi Hawkins
Wow! This was absolutely amazing and I loved every second of it. I completely agree with your writing and feel like you really showed a side of vulnerability and truth. There are many people who misinterpret happiness and I feel like relating this to God truly showed your raw thoughts. Really beautiful piece of writing and well done!
I like how you used analogies to showcase the reality of how today’s generation tends to be influenced into doing things that are believed to make them happy. I think it’s really nice that you stick to your morals and spirituality and turn to God rather than getting caught up "fitting in" and suppressing those emotions.
This was amazing! Like Karis commented, PREACH!! It's nice to finally hear someone with the same views that I have about rebounds or posting things to make yourself feel better when really people are feeding themselves materialistic things that won't benefit them in the end. I love how you included views about your faith and personal experiences, and I needed the reminder that because I'm here and breathing now, God is not done with me yet! Thank you for those profound words! Absolutely beautiful!
I really enjoyed how you challenged society’s norms instead of just blindly following what everyone else is doing around you. I also liked how you used your own personal experiences to get your point across. Your writing definitely opened my eyes to a new perspective.
After reading this I just want to commend you on being so faithful to God, I haven’t been religious but I love seeing people so dedicated to doing good. A lot of kids just give up on being themselves and throw away their lives to be “cool”. Thank you for sharing!
I definitely agree with the fact that people tend to seek happiness from the outside world...from material things, or even from others. I like how you alluded to the Bible and used the scripture to strengthen your point.
Wow! This is amazing and I completely agree with you that people too often look for validation from others rather than finding validation within themselves. I really like how you said that happiness is temporary while joy is everlasting.
I think it is incredibly noble and brave of you to use this opportunity to share your faith! As a fellow believer I couldn't have said it better myself, that the fruit of this world will never lead to true Joy, only God will. Thanks for sharing! (Ryan Mallon)
I loved your blog! Pointing out the truth about people these days especially when they believe these materialistic things will maintain their happiness is much needed. Many people have experienced the option of being "cool" just to fit in so expanding on that topic can be very relatable especially at our age. Being religious, it was amazing when you used a bible verse to further your point of view.
I extremely enjoyed reading your blog, I agree with your views and values as I too have witness a lot of my friends have this type of reaction to pain by doing these type of harmful activities just to keep themselves happy for the very few moments they get to enjoy, I loved how you said "It’s like a rusted car, instead of actually scraping the rust off you continue to paint over it until the paint boils up and then you have to continuously repaint over it instead of fixing the problem itself" which is very relatable to many of us, anyways great job!!
You showed a lot of facts and great resolve in your speaking, I agree with the idea that happiness is short and not the only thing you should strive for, nice work! (Leah Thompson)
Thank you for sharing your input in society along with your faith. I definitely agree that people tend to seek temporary happiness rather than putting their time into the eternal joy we seek with God. The ending statement was very powerful and this was an overall really good writing!
Arnold, this was such an AMAZING piece from beginning to end. I completely agree with your view on happiness because it cant be obtained by things of this world. I believe that until you discover Jesus you will never know what true happiness is because God everything including joy and happiness. I loved the verse you used to further prove not your point but Gods point. You're writing is brave and so real to the world around us!! Abigail B
I really enjoyed reading this since it discusses a very interesting perspective of happiness and how you have grown to interpret it in a different way from most people. It definitely shows that this topic is very personal to you which is also why I enjoyed this piece much more since I can clearly see your opinions and thoughts.
There was something in the way you used figurative language that actually led me to see your point even clearer. Thank you for your own account of what most of us don't even come to interpret on our own. Very good job!
I loved reading this blog it really brought forth the problems with our generation and how we hold such temporary things as if they have so much more to them then they really do.
A fascinating piece of writing! Your idea of a non-sustainable happiness truly is something to ponder about. You brought into a new light that individuals all too often forgo an opportunity of self-reflection and healing for the slightest glimpse of minute pleasance. My only question for you is this: to what extent are temporary periods of happiness so insignificant? A relationship that started so beautifully and gave so much joy, yet was bound to end catastrophically: should it not be someone's right to live in that moment of utter bliss, forcefully ignoring future sorrow just for a momentary peace in such a chaotic and uncontrollable world?
I have to agree with almost everything in your piece! Our generation indeed has a warped fixation over momentary happiness despite knowing the consequences. I also believe that the problem in our generation is a lack of self-confidence and the need of outside validation without taking the time to appreciate the blessings that we already have
The pursuit of happiness certainly is something that our generation struggles with severely. I have always thought about things like this, but I was always unable to put it into words. You're right, we seek a singular moment of happiness, no matter the cost or what it will lead to.
Aries Tacderan
I agree with practically everything in your piece. Our generation is stuck in this perpetual belief in this temporary happiness and that will dissolve our problems. I've gone through that state of wanting to be "happy" but then realizing that I need to take the time to work on myself above all. A very good take on this prevalent topic in today's society. The parallel between a rusting car and fixing the internal issues was spot on!
All I can really say to this is YESSIR!!! I agree with everything you said and I found your piece so fascinating. I loved the deep dive into our generation's problems and the leap you took to share your faith. I 100% agree with you and what you had to say! Very interesting piece, thank you so much for sharing.
I have to concur with what you are stating Arnold, I too believe that the idea of living fast and in the moment has engulfed the youth of todays society and has left them with ramifications that can be extremely detrimental. I believe short term happiness does no one any good and is not enough o maintain actual happiness
I have to concur with what you are stating Arnold, I too believe that the idea of living fast and in the moment has engulfed the youth of todays society and has left them with ramifications that can be extremely detrimental. I believe short term happiness does no one any good and is not enough o maintain actual happiness
Your piece was very eye-opening and resonated with me! I really agree with you on how the word "happiness" can be deceiving. I liked how you talked about how the things that lead to happiness just make you feel empty, and make us continue to chase momentary pleasures to fill the hole we feel subconsciously. I really enjoyed how you also talked about yourself, and how you did try to go after moments of fleeting happiness in the past. I can say that I've also gone through that, and your work reminds me to find joy from within myself.
I agree a lot with how social media is really just instant gratitude and a dopamine high. People nowadays are so afixed with looking good for other people and finding temporary happiness that they disregard their own mental health. Real joy truly can only be found through christ, and its important that we dismiss our earthly desires in order to enjoy what God has for us. This essay overall is definetley spot on without a doubt.
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