1) What makes you happy?
A hobby, good company, someone special, a smile, a job, money, stability, being wreckless, kids, volunteering, being with people you care about, a hug, a laugh, sleep, accomplishment, success, feeling something, screaming, traveling???
What does happy even mean? Dictionary.com says...
hap⋅py [hap-ee]
–adjective, -pi⋅er, -pi⋅est.
1. delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing: to be happy to see a person.
2. characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy: a happy mood; a happy frame of mind.
3. favored by fortune; fortunate or lucky: a happy, fruitful land.
4. apt or felicitous, as actions, utterances, or ideas.
5. obsessed by or quick to use the item indicated (usually used in combination): a trigger-happy gangster. Everybody is gadget-happy these days.
So basically, if I'm lucky or get to see someone special or feel good then I'm happy? I think there's just too much involved to truly sum it up like this.
2) What is love?
A feeling, caring, sharing, attachment, sex, happiness, affection, desire, connection, being happy?
Dictionary.com says...
love [luhv]
–noun
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
5. (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
6. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.
7. sexual intercourse; copulation.
8. (initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
9. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.
10. strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books.
11. the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.
12. the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.
13. Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.
14. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.
Can love really be summed up in 14 ways? And I'm discounting #13 as I could care less about Tennis. Sorry people.
How do you really know if you're "in love"?
At least the movies "Paper Heart," "500 Days of Summer," and the "The Notebook" address it. But don't think these will explain it all.
3) What is faith? (And I'm not just talking about religion)
A devout belief, trust, fantasy, something intangible, loyalty, trust, love?
Dictionary.com says...
faith [feyth]
–noun
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.
8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.
—Idiom
9. in faith, in truth; indeed: In faith, he is a fine lad.
Three words that we all use whether it's their synonyms or these words themselves. BUT do we really understand what they mean or use them properly? I throw these words around like they're water. Especially the L word. I mean I can say "I love string cheese." But really what I mean is I like eating string cheese but I'm not going to feel too bad if it goes bad in the fridge or I throw half of it away or someone takes it from me. It's just cheese. If I say "I'm so happy to see you." Am I really happy about it or am I just saying it's good to see that person after several weeks or months and they put a smile on my face because it's someone I care about. That might make me happy for a brief moment sure. But then we get into happiness. The epitome of being happy most of the time as most of the parts of our life including family, friends, significant other, career, and hobbies are all adding to our lives in positive ways.
We've been groomed as humans to have "faith" in "love" and "happiness." This is what we hope to achieve. This is what we live for ultimately right? BUT when is it enough? When can you say "Well I have all the love I could ever need and all the happiness in the world so I'm good thanks. No more." I can't say I've ever heard anyone say that and truly mean it. It's usually the old, "Well I can't complain!" In other words, things can always be better. We all strive for better usually. We should strive for better. To better ourselves will make us better in the end and that end is not death, but in the end of that brief period of time where the cycle ends and begins again.
So what can I leave you with? Question everything because it will only strengthen whatever you ultimately seek.
About Me
- JStew
- Once upon a time a short blonde from Nashville, TN moved to la la land to work in feature films. Little did she know she'd do just that but end up leaving film and tv production six years later to start a new career in librarianship across the country. That's right, she not only lived among celebrity royalty reaping the benefits of expensive swag and cashing in on long hours because you have no life when you work up to 16 hours a day or more depending on the show. But after a great deal of thought, "putting out fires," as that's more or less what a soon to be Producer does, was becoming a thing of the past and facilitating young members in a community with digital literacy was to become a part of the future. Thus, from Los Angeles to New York, no not the city but the western part of the state, I am in the process of obtaining a masters in Library Science: School Media which means I will be a librarian in a K-12 or academic university setting if I am so lucky. And just maybe, "peut-etre" I'll become a published writer with all the free time I'll have. Here's hoping a new city, new people, and new adventures will bring more entertaining subjects to capture.