Today I sat with my roommate at the dining table, was happy about the food we had and laughed. In that moment he looked at me and said

That’s why I love cooking - that you can see directly in the expressions of others that they are happy. And no matter what, food always makes you happy.

That sentence immediately got me thinking, because it’s just so true.
No matter what happened - there are certain things like food or other common interests that always make you happy and bring you together with other people.

You always have to look into the future. But for many people (including me) this is not always easy. Sometimes things happen in life that make you emotionally upset - and there is nothing you can do about it. Sometimes these things hurt so much and it takes weeks or months to process them.
Often you ask yourself if there were reasons why something happened. Here I am a big fan of the following quote.

Everything happens for a reason.

If some things had not gone badly in the past, I would not be where I am today.
Sometimes in life you have to take a step backwards to move forward two more times.
This often hurts, but only makes you stronger and better prepared for the future.
If some things would not have happened in the past, I would not live with my roommate here in the city today but maybe still in my old hometown.
Then we would not have experienced this wonderful moment full of laughter today. That’s why you should always appreciate all things that happened in the past, even if they hurt at that time.

This brings me back to the beginning of this post. Sometimes it is the simplest things that make you happy for the moment, like good food and good company. Others might enjoy a good beer after a long day at work. Still others look forward to coming home in the evening to their partner and children.

However, I have the feeling that society sometimes spreads the feeling that these moments are worth nothing. But it is these moments that count in life.

It does not count how much money you have, whether you are successful in your job or whether you go on holiday a lot.
Only the small things that make you happy every day anew count.

Why does our society have to give the feeling that everyone has to be successful in their job and have a lot of money?
Let us imagine two people.

  • Person 1 works a lot every day, but earns a lot of money. Person 1 lives alone in a big house he built 2 years ago.
  • Person 2 works 8 hours a day and has a low income. After work person 2 comes home to his family in his rented apartment.

What do you think which person is happier?

Of course you always have to find a good average. Of course you can hardly live without money and a certain success. But does it really have to be as society demands?
I think the demands of society on people are clearly too high.
Not everyone can drive a Porsche and build their own house. Still, people who don’t do that can be happier than them.

I know many people who work with people who have mental health problems (authistic people, people with addictions or people who are stressed out).
These people really do their best to make these people feel better.
They are also emotionally burdened by it to some extent.
But very often I hear that their job is considered ‘not good’.
These people contribute to society as much as any other job. Nevertheless, they are often seen as ‘servants of society’ and they often get paid like that.
I think their job is more important than some other a lot better paid ones. But people don’t really seem to appreciate what they are doing.

Well.. This was my little rant on a lovely Sunday. Part 2 coming soon.

~Marcel