Get Happy

I have decided to be happy no matter what. Given the many turns a life can take, is that a valid decision? If a happy man's dog is run over, wouldn't he cry just the same as a sad man? In my case, I came to the conclusion that being sad is boring, but isn't it also part of the full human being? Perhaps it is impossible to always be happy, especially when life is full of hardship, but one should bounce back from setbacks quickly, lest the tears prevent one from seizing an opportunity that may arise. Lord knows I've let many an opportunity slip away because I was in the throes of depression, but then can mental illness be considered the same as normal sadness? I think not. Everyone has moments that are sad, whereas someone in a depressive state will be sad holding a winning lottery ticket. I think when I made this decision, I was in a manic state, and next week I will be wallowing again in the dark corners of my mind, but we'll see. I could just be putting myself on guard against that awful psychic state, to better rise above my inclination to sink lower than I have ever sunk before. The coming months, if not days, should be a good test of that pledge, as I seek shelter and will probably have to make my through the thickets of the bureaucratic landscape, and face an indifferent world as I seek to rise to a better position in society. When I had a pleurisy attack on the train the other day, was I happy then? I was happy after it ended, but as it raged, I was helpless before it, with no relief to my anguish possible, nothing to do but wait for it to pass its course. When it did, and I fell asleep, I was happy to awaken pain-free, but am I wrong to insist on being happy all the time? Is this a valid state of mind in our troubling world, or just a refusal to grow up? Is it the best response to growing up? Many philosophical questions go into this choice of mine, but I feel that embracing joy despite problems could be the best way to endure the horrors that await.