Entry#5 Terribly good

-Artist, Bansky

      Happiness, is simply complex and awfully wonderful. I truly believe it is a wholesome light that lives within each of us. It is not something you spend your whole life looking for; it already exists withing you. So why is it that we feel like we are on this endless search for happiness, constantly hungry for more?

    One Tuesday afternoon, my professor had us begin the class by doing a stress relief exercise. Each student was to take a moment to write a list of five different things that bring you happiness. Afterwards she had several students around the room share a few items off their list. Some of the happiness shared in peoples life's where thing like, family, heath, children, and skills. The exercise concluded that not a single  student in the class room had anything material on their list. Yes, money becomes necessary to economically provide for doctors, to maintain certain people's health and money is useful to purchase tools for some trades.But essentially life itself is what makes one feel true joy.

     We spend so much time making money to provide bigger and better things for ourselves, we forget about the little things. It almost becomes a competition of who has more. The bigger house, faster car, and newest TV screen. All these things gained also come with consequence, but we as a society automatically tend to only see the privilege of what all of our consuming provides not the repercussions. The bigger house that you own, with twice as many bedrooms than you and your family could fill is not only using up more natural resources such as; water, granite, wood, gas, ect. It is also taking up more space on a planet that is reaping the effects of over population and causing animals to be pushed out of their homes. Just so you can sit your butt on that laz-e-boy throne in your castle. The bigger better car you drive is polluting the air you breathe. While 90 percent of the time extra space in your new car is completely wasted as you drive alone amongst all of the other single passengers in cars. And what better way to experience the life you view through your television than experiencing the world in the highest definition available, reality.

       It it is also important to think about where the items you are buying are coming from, like factories with poor labor laws. Or possibly, if things like diamonds are being harvested by people who are losing their hands to provide them, by scraping the earth for its treasures just for some shinny tradition someone started. Not only being conscience of where the items are coming from, but where will they go once you are through with them. Plastics can be found at arms reach of nearly every American, this man made material was created in the early 90's for war. Since then, plastics have multiplied with nowhere to go but landfills and our ocean because they are not able to decompose. The chemicals and material used to create plastic are being found within our food and the water we drink. There are many pros to the luxuries you spend your life to obtain as well, but it is important to think outside of yourself and weigh out the possibilities. Is it really worth it?

      Consumerism is so deeply imbedded into society that it makes it nearly impossible to live without it. I'm not saying to go live in a tent with your family, just to think a little deeper about all that you consume. Instead of only seeing the reward. Try to visualize the whole picture of how your actions effect the world. I truly believe that material items bring temporary joy, for the fact that at any moment, they can be taken from you. Wholesome good actions and entity's in this world are permanent and bring lasting happiness. If you are looking for something to brighten your day, look no further, the light that lives within the sun and provides chlorophyll to the plants, is the same light that lives within you.