Throughout the course of American History, the people of this nation have been in the constant pursuit of happiness. However, one must ask: Has it gone too far? In the February 11th issue of Newsweek the brilliant Sharon Begley takes on this very question. Today’s society has become so obsessed with achieving a near constant state of happiness, that the inherent value involved in feelings of sorrow are being ignored. People have become more and more reliant on the advice of both licensed and unlicensed professionals. The self-help industry has exploded in the last decade or so and in effect has left many helpless regarding their own mental health. Not only does Begley refute the notion that happiness all the time is a good thing, but she places considerable value on feelings of melancholy. She uses Abraham Lincoln, Beethoven and Emily Dickinson as examples of individuals who understood and thrived in the gloomy state. The emotions involved with such a state need to be explored by the individual, so that one my better understand the human condition. Philosophers and writers have explored this for centuries. Personally, I have always found a bizarre sense of pleasure in the melancholic state. Not only do I better understand myself and often feel more productive, but I have come to realize that it truly is healthy to occasionally be unhappy. Who would have thought? Of course happiness is not to be rejected, after all it tends to be one of the more redeeming qualities of life. However, the constant pursuit will produce a one-sided psyche that is ill-equipped to survive an often times, tumultuous existence. This life is all we have and with no explanation of it, we are left with the absurd. We are left to fend amongst ourselves and pursue the most satisfying and decent existence that we can. So why not live it to its full potential. So be good to yourself and explore those “dark boundaries between opposites”. Its like Mark Sandman once sang, “I wanna be happy, but not all the time”.
