RE: Let's talk about the 'tyranny of happiness'
January 27, 2017 at 3:16 pm
(This post was last modified: January 27, 2017 at 3:19 pm by Longhorn.)
(January 27, 2017 at 2:59 pm)mh.brewer Wrote: Sorry, don't see any tyranny. I will wish happiness on anyone that I want. I won't try to make them happy or berate them for not being happy. They can be negative/depressed/sad all they want. I just can't live that way, or more correctly, live that way any more.
This won't stop me from making suggestions/observations. The choice is theirs.
It's not that people should live their lives being sad or not striving towards happiness. The point is that (a) it's ok and human to feel other, negative feelings and pushing them away is unhealthy, and there is a widespread mentality that it should be done and (b) another part of that mentality is that bad things in life can be fixed with just thinking positively. I mean, some can, but there are a lot that can't, see the cancer example, and that kind of advice brings the person down even more. It can make them feel responsible for their situation, which is often not the case.
Wishing someone happiness is not the same, it's a good thing. Telling someone to not feel their grief and think positively in some situations can be damaging. This isn't necessarily the same aa trying to cheer someone up.
The tyranny part also refers to the broadly held belief that if you are happy with your life you need to be positive 24/7, which is simply impossible.
