Friday, December 12, 2008

Question of the Week: Fulfilled

Would you accept twenty years of extraordinary happiness and fulfillment if it meant you would die at the end of the period?

Of course I would. The way I see it, if I'm spending the final 20 years of my life happy and fulfilled, what's there to look forward to in life after that? To me, fulfilled means I've accomplished everything I ever set out to do. If I've done all that, I can die happy.

Then again, in that 20 years I'd become one of those people that I make fun of. Well, I don't necessarily make fun of them, but I just don't understand them. You know who I'm talking about. Those people who are just happy all the time. For me it's an unexplained phenomenon. As cynical as I am, it's hard for me to look at the circumstances of life and be unbelievably happy. Don't get me wrong, even a cynic can find joy in a situation, but that comes from a different place. Happiness comes from an emotional place that, to me, is totally circumstantial.

Yet there are people out there like Will Ferrell in Elf who just love smiling. Smiling's their favorite. I just don't get it. I used to think there was something in me that's broken, but not anymore. This is just who I am. Deal with it.

Besides, I do smile occasionally. There is photographic documentation of such occurrances. Just look on Facebook.

*Question of the Week comes from The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock, Ph.D.

1 comment:

  1. Yes, with out of doubt i would except 20 years of happiness and fulfillment in a heart beat! Even if it meant i would die at the end because itsnt that what you strive for your entire life on this earth anyway? you strive to be happy and completely fullfilled so why not skip right to the point. Even if you live to 100 there is still no gaurentee that you will get 20 years of extraordinary happiness and fullfillment, let alone get all of those years one after another! I would much rather have qaulity over quanity any day. Great question Aaron and please feel free to spell check this comment for me! lol

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