CHAPTER 1
The Fragility of Happiness
“Get out”
Mother ran downstairs and hammered Father with her fists, shrieking at him to leave.
The sound rings in my ears to this day. As I stood rooted to the spot, Father passed
wordlessly in front of me and on out the door, never to return. I was in grade school.
It was months before I learned the word “divorce” and understood the sad situation.
Through tears, I grasped the hard truth that happiness can collapse and disappear in
an instant, without the slightest warning.
As that boy learned to his sorrow, even the most apparently secure happiness may crumble at any time. Life is uncertain, apt to spring a nasty surprise when we least except it. What’s the point of it all? What is life all about, anyway? When we find ourselves shaken out of the lull of routine, standing aghast like the little boy above, questions like these demand serious answer.
Bookstores and libraries over flow with stories of people who have overcome all manner of adversity and found happiness through their tenacity and their strength of will. These books encourage us to keep going: “Happiness can be yours!” “Find your passion and follow it, whatever it might be.” All these success stories tell us to keep moving forward, step by step. But what direction are we to take, and where are we headed? Those answers are not necessarily clear.
The Fragility of Happiness
“Get out”
Mother ran downstairs and hammered Father with her fists, shrieking at him to leave.
The sound rings in my ears to this day. As I stood rooted to the spot, Father passed
wordlessly in front of me and on out the door, never to return. I was in grade school.
It was months before I learned the word “divorce” and understood the sad situation.
Through tears, I grasped the hard truth that happiness can collapse and disappear in
an instant, without the slightest warning.
As that boy learned to his sorrow, even the most apparently secure happiness may crumble at any time. Life is uncertain, apt to spring a nasty surprise when we least except it. What’s the point of it all? What is life all about, anyway? When we find ourselves shaken out of the lull of routine, standing aghast like the little boy above, questions like these demand serious answer.
Bookstores and libraries over flow with stories of people who have overcome all manner of adversity and found happiness through their tenacity and their strength of will. These books encourage us to keep going: “Happiness can be yours!” “Find your passion and follow it, whatever it might be.” All these success stories tell us to keep moving forward, step by step. But what direction are we to take, and where are we headed? Those answers are not necessarily clear.
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