happiness

what a complex emotion - although some people don't see it as such. on those two dates i had with D, we saw a movie. the lights dimmed as we sat in the theater waiting for the movie to start. the previews were concluded by that animated little film strip character telling us that the Feature Presentation was next. on both occasions, D commented on how "happy" that "little film-guy" is. (the first time i thought maybe he was just nervous and trying to avoid silence by saying almost anything. the second time he said it i knew i would not be seeing him again.) that anthropomorphous little film strip is not real and does not have the ability to perceive an emotion like happiness. it is an advertising and/or brand tool used by AMC Theaters.

i was driving down the street the other day listening to Animal Collective when i realized that theirs is some of the happiest music i know. it has so much energy and noise. it has a pulse. but it has depth; it's not gratuitous joy. it's a revelry in life - the heartbreak, joy, ordinary and extraordinary in everyday.

so what is happiness?

i believe happiness is the acceptance of life. the realization that bad things happen, that we have to go through tough times before we get to the good times, that happiness is an appreciation for the whole range of emotions one person can feel. we couldn't have love without heartbreak, joy without sadness, life without death. happiness is not the absence of a contrary emotion, but the culmination of all emotions.