Kennedi Santomenna - HUM 1020 - CRN 14242

Chapter 12: Happiness

"Tragedy can also teach us about happiness-and sometimes the lessons it teaches are difficult to accept (12.7)."

My grandmother passed away October and my best friend passed away in November 2024. It was hard, and still is hard, to accept why the universe took away the two people I learned so many lessons from. My grandmother taught me how to fall down and get back up again. That woman hit the floor more times than I can count. She would break a bone, bust her head open, and cut herself constantly. Every time she fell, she always got up and said "I am fine." when she wasn't. My best friend taught me that there are never too many photos because one day those photos will become treasured memories. She always wanted to take selfies whever we went, whether it was in the school hallway, Panera Bread, or just in the car. It was not until I lost her when those photos held so much value. They both passed away due to cancer and there is not a single day where I don't miss their laughs, our talks, and our time together. My loss taught me so much about myself and how to become better. The lesson of grief is still the hardest thing I will ever learn and it is hard to accept, but it brings me happiness knowing they are not suffering.

-

"One might ask how true happiness can be achieved in a world where we are continually facing the suffering of the less fortunate (12.5)."

Living in a world such as cruel as ours, it is hard for most people to discover empathy. Everyday there is the struggle of living and the struggle of getting by day by day. Everyday can get a little bit better just by smiling and making other smile. I always find myself in a daze of sonder. In case you don't know what sonder is, sonder is when you realize everyone experiences every day differently than yourself. For example, you can be driving to a birthday party but the car next to yours may be driving to a funeral. There is no telling what someone else goes through on a day-to-day basis. That is why I try to remain is judgement free and as happy as I can. "There are others who have it way worse," as my mom would say. We can help the world by allowing and giving others a chance to smile through the rest of the day. Whether it means complimenting someone, joking around with someone, or even simply flashing them a smile, anything that can make someone else's day better. Live life knowing that you made someone's day better rather than doing nothing. It will make this world feel less cruel to yourself and to others.

-

"However far you go on the Path is better than not taking that first step (12.6)."

I was just on the phone with my stepdad two days ago. We confide in eachother from time to time and that day he came to me about an issue. He told me that he was struggling with taking a step foward because of his fear of the unknown. I told him that it is better to try than not try at all. That is what my mom, his wife, told me when I was struggling in my extracurriculars. He struggles with change and is not very well adapting to new opprotunities. I told him, "What is the worse that can happen? You try, it doesn't work out, then you try again." I told him that we, as humans, have to learn and adapt to our mistakes. It is simply how life is formulated. He may go down that road with a dead end but he could also turn a corner to a bright future. He could be on that road for years on end but eventually he will be able to learn from his mistakes and I am confident in that. We are shaped by our mistakes and we value them. As the saying goes, "You learn from your mistakes."

References

Richard Paul Janaro & Thelma C. Altshuler, 2017, The Art of Being Human, 11th Edition