Again, time ran too short this week for me to select a book to excerpt for our Saturday Snippet. I'm afraid that due to the burden of too much to do in too little time, that's likely to be an ongoing problem. Some weeks I'll manage it; other weeks, I won't. Therefore, on weeks when I can't manage to put together a Saturday Snippet, I'll put up a (quicker and easier to prepare) Saturday Smile instead.
Today we have one from Stephan Pastis and his "Pearls Before Swine" comic strip. Click the image to be taken to a larger version at the strip's Web page.
It's funny how often I've run into Rat's point of view about being happy. Happiness is, fundamentally, a choice (albeit easier to choose if the circumstances of our lives are more conducive to it). Nevertheless, there are those who will always choose the negative, being gloomy no matter how well things are going. They would probably call themselves realists, rather than pessimists; but they're too often a downer for the rest of us to deal with.
It's worth remembering that - if only to ensure we don't make the same mistake. I've done so on occasion, and always had cause to regret it later. Mea culpa!
Peter
how true.... this is totally right...you can choose to be happy.. lol.. the circumstances around you dictate the level of difficulty in making and implementing that choice. From the easy (no problem at all being happy) to post apocalyptic (your inhuman in your ability to be happy with whats going on).
ReplyDeletesadly I have to identify as one of those realists that probably is a mild downer for those around me. I don't go full doom and gloom but but more of a neutral the world is shit and lets just move on. :) lol
I find the balance point is maintaining general happiness (ignoring the things you can't control) combined with a cynical Murphy's Law style concern for attention-to-details to deal with the things you can control. Happy, but where possible prepared for the shit to rain down.
ReplyDeleteA fun counterpoint is today's Pickles comic strip: https://www.gocomics.com/pickles/2024/07/27
ReplyDeleteIt's weird. I have found that being happy seems to really piss people off, especially the more leftist the person is. Smiling, happy whistling or humming and it drives Them crazy.
ReplyDelete"What are you smiling at?" said in a nasty tone.
"Oh, being alive. Sky's pretty. Going home." Just drives the moonbats batshirt crazy.
Pastis does make some good points, slyly...
ReplyDeletenot to go all religious on you (heh)
ReplyDeletebut each dawn when you wake up is G-d's gift to you - personally
what you do with the rest of the day (or your life) is up to you
may as well be happy and enjoy the fullness of today,
you may not see the dawn tomorrow
Seems to me that Pastis is taking a shot at the "fun police". Those wonderful folks who seek to ban anything they wouldn't do, like music, dancing, taking risks, and a host of fun classes of toys, tools, and attitudes.
ReplyDeleteSlogan from Shambhala [Buddhist] Sun Camp (which is for children):
ReplyDeleteBe Happy for no good reason