Yes. I said it. Happiness is indeed overrated. It makes you: feel good, energetic, smile, laugh, positive, creative, healthy, etc. All the right things. Yet I feel it is overrated. Let me tell you why…

Feelings are like Drugs.

Feelings are ever-changing. They are not constant. I like to look at them as drugs that people get high on ( chemicals in our body after all ). I will be talking about two specific drugs called Happiness and Sadness. Let us call it HP and SD respectively for their veracity as drugs. HP is the elixir of ecstasy. SD is the poison of pain. HP has the best high among all the other drugs, but it does not take time to wear off. It makes you feel like you can fly, and you really do. Hence the terms, “Seventh Heaven” and “Cloud Nine“. On the other hand, SD has the worst high and it stays in your body for a long time. No one really likes it. It is cheap and easily available, unlike HP. There are dealers too. Dealers of SD are everywhere in the form of minor inconveniences or big drug empires like large-scale tragedies, whereas dealers for HP are difficult to find. Each person on this planet has their own personal HP dealer, and it is unique to them. For example, a pizza lover will not go to a restaurant that does not have pizza on its menu. That is why everyone is trying to find their own HP dealer.  

My Addiction Story.

I have a drug-related story. I am addicted to HP. I know it is a good drug, but addiction to anything is always unhealthy. Now, this does not mean I overdosed on HP. In fact, it is the opposite. The lack of something that results in your craving for it makes you realize that you are an addict. In my case, I lacked HP so much that I began to search for it everywhere. I was not completely devoid of it either, but it does not last long, and it is limited. My pursuit of HP ensued in me intaking SD more and more, almost overdosing on it. I figured I had to do something about my situation, so I joined a rehab.

Rehab.

My process of rehabilitation is ongoing. It is a lifestyle. It began with me understanding some important things about drugs and my addiction. HP is a drug that is essential for survival. It can only be dangerous if you get addicted to it like me. No matter how much I had, it was never enough. All the HP in the world is not enough. Rehab helped me understand that HP is not the solution. I had too many expectations from it. The high will always end up in a bad trip if we presume it to be something bigger than it is. I used to think that the good high is a solution to sobriety and bad highs of SD. But it was only an escape. So, I started with lowering my expectations. The second thing I understood was that HP dealers could be found in the form of small fortunes and satisfaction too. It does not have to be a significant dealer. I was trying to find the Pablo Escobar of HP trade. If I can find SD dealers in the form of minor inconveniences, then I can surely find HP dealers in the form of minor conveniences. So, I started practicing gratitude.

This Drug is way better.

I hope I have established the fact that Happiness is not the answer. It is just temporary. I have gone through the cycle of being happy and then feeling void and then trying to find Happiness again. The cycle never ends. The things I do in rehab are the real deal because it is also the answer to a very important question.

What is the goal if not to be happy?

The goal is to find the drug Peace, and it comes as a reward with the things you practice in rehab. It is the GOAT ( greatest of all time ) among all the other drugs. Smoking this will help you achieve Nirvana. Happiness is mouth fag. Peace is inhaling. Long-Lasting Happiness is a myth. Happiness can only be temporary. However, Peace can be everlasting. That is the reason I feel Happiness is Overrated.

How to Pursue Peace?

Lowering expectations and practicing gratitude are just some of the techniques in rehab. There are many more. I am also practicing relearning and trying to build good habits. The most important thing is to stay true to yourself. It is really difficult. Acknowledging your demons is the most significant part of rehab. But that is the first part of a bigger process. Once you have an understanding of yourself, you have to exercise your angels and exorcise your demons. This is the process of identity change. As I said, rehab is an ongoing process, and I have just started. It is a bit intimidating, but it is the solution.

I hope you all join this rehab. I got to go, it’s 4:20. Bye.