In the western world we live in a very privileged society.  We have safety, comfort and the freedom of leisure in ways that our ancestors never experienced.

So, what I am wondering is…

How did we all become such miserable bastards?

I walk along the street and spot people with glum faces.  You give a smile, but it is not reciprocated.

Everyday I am hearing about people suffering from depression, or other mental illnesses where they are unable to see joy in many situations.

I work with people who are unable to see the good position that they are in.

And despite all the great things we have, we are unhappy because there is always more out there.  Even if we do achieve more we find reasons not to be happy.

I want to see people seeing more positives from life.  And I would certainly welcome more of these.

 

smile

Here are some reasons to smile:

  1. Smiling makes you happy
  2. Smiling makes others happy
  3. Smiling creates opportunities
  4. Smiling makes you more approachable
  5. Smiling makes you a more likeable person
  6. It feels better to smile than to be glum

Even if you are not a smiley person, practice having a smile to get some of the above benefits.  I am a firm believer in ‘Fake it till you become it’, so eventually by doing something that is not natural, you will become so practiced it becomes habit.

Finally, remember there is no such thing as a bad situation, it’s just how we choose to perceive it.

Now to finish it, please see this picture of someone from a country that is not as privileged as the Western world being happy with a friend.

camel

Sources:

Spark People – 7 Good Reasons to Smile

Huffington Post – 11 Surprising Reasons You should smile everyday

Published by James L

10 thoughts on “How did we all become such miserable bastards?”

    1. Thanks for the comment. As it says in the book ‘How to win friends and influence people’ – Happiness does not depend on outside circumstances, but rather on inward attitudes. Smiles are free to give and have an amazing ability to make others feel wonderful. Smile in everything that you do.

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      1. It’s so true. Life has a way of trying to pull us down if we allow it to, we need to continue smiling to maintain happiness in ourselves and spread the energy to those around us!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Problem here is we are brought up on aspirations and wanting more, so when we don’t get it we get unhappy. I am just grateful for my life and health 🙂

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      1. aspiration is not wrong. greed is, and being unappreciate and unaware of what you have. good on you for seeing the important things.

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      2. Thanks! I agree aspiration is a good thing (it is something that has driven me to do a lot of things), I guess in this context though I meant that people are so aspirational they failure to see what it has given them and want more 🙂

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