Have you noticed the pattern in which every commercial in the world tries to sell us happiness? It’s almost always the same — a new car, starting a family, an engagement, a cruise with a group of people… The list goes on. Indeed, those are ultimate goals for a lot of people; just not for everyone. We are individuals — with conditioned minds, nonetheless, but individuals. You’d be surprised at the oddities that give some of us genuine happiness.
This past year I’ve spent a lot of time by myself and I’ve noticed that, to some, loners are sad people (because they’re alone). My favorite reaction is when I go to a restaurant and I ask for a table for one. They almost always do a double take — “You said just one person, right?” It’s funny, though at times it may make me feel uncomfortable that they think I should be there with someone. It makes me question my belief that solitude doesn’t always mean loneliness. But it’s true; it doesn’t.
I think society needs to break the pattern and stop defining happiness for us. Commercials need to stop making people feel like they can’t be happy if they’re alone. Many people are happy with not ever getting married or having kids, so stop pushing this whole engagement-marriage-family algorithm on us. What does it really mean to be happy in life? I don’t know, but I know for sure it’s not necessarily found in company. Our source of happiness will always vary.
My dinners may seem lonely, but I promise you that I’m okay. Better to be alone than in bad company, anyway.
