Of moments and happily-ever-afters.
I am part of a generation bred to find happiness. We are like happiness-sniffing dogs.
Case in point: YouTube comments and general sentiments on the following movie scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m2T5yfgsZ0&feature=related
Figure 1: Infamous scene from “Love Actually” where man confesses to woman that he has been in love with her for a long time, and makes her realize that he has been avoiding her to prevent complications with his best friend, whom she has just married.
With all due respect to Disney, people nowadays have been misguided by their prince-and-princess endings. The realization only comes later on, probably in late high school or early college, or even after graduation, that “happily ever after” is such a long time from now and also quite improbable when set against the golden standards of our childhood films. Plus, the movies we live do not end during the wedding ceremonies or the big kisses—that’s actually a rather morbid thought…
Not that I wish children’s movies became more realistic, or account for the multi-factorial nature of success and happiness (and even finding love)—I care about the kids!—but people are so hell-bent on finding “happily ever after” that they end up missing out on what I think happiness really is: moments. Moments interspersed in the daily humdrum of our lives. Little happinesses, blessings, realizations, meanings. These moments are happiness.
For me, the magic of the above scene is not the message on his flash cards or of the kiss he gets after it, but when he says “Enough, enough now.”
We have to learn how to actually be happy when we’ve been given our little moments of happiness. Don’t act spoiled, kids.
Notes
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