Saturday, January 14
A man was depressed. He saw no good from anything at all. The cup was always half-empty, things always went wrong, no one could understand him. Every day he would be an uphill struggle to get through. He had a boring job, a plain house, an ordinary life. If only he could have an exciting job, like those celebrities he watches on television every night. If only he could live in an extravagant mansion, like those tycoons he read about on the newspapers every morning. If only he lived an extraordinary life.
One day he read this quote:
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.- Ernest Hemingway
It immediately became clear to him that he was different. The only reason why he was so jaded with life was that he was
too intelligent. He could not work boring jobs, stay in plain houses, or live mundanely. He was meant for greater things. He deserved better. Suddenly his unhappiness was justified. For a brief period, he was happy.
But slowly and surely, he sank back down into self-pity. He realised that telling himself that he was more intelligent was little consolation for the lousy life he was living. In the depths of his sorrow, he finally sought out a wise man and lamented: "Life was unfair: How can those less intelligent people be happily enjoying their lifestyle while I - who is more intelligent - end up in this hole?"
The wise man shook his head and replied: "You are not intelligent. If you were truly intelligent, you would understand that there will always be disparity between the rich and the poor. You would know that intelligence does not decide if you were at the top of the ladder, or down below. And then, you would not complain to me about fate's 'unfair' treatment towards you."
He was shocked at this revelation, that all this time he was being fooled by himself. In a fluster, he made one more attempt at deciphering his sorry state.
"But why do I always feel sad? Why am I rarely happy? Wasn't it said that happiness is rarely found in intelligent people?"
"Intelligent people believe that they see more than others. They believe that they know more than the average crowd. And what they
think they know is that the future is bleak. That every action is futile against inevitable end. Perhaps they feel suddenly reach a conclusion that life is meaningless, or that humanity is too volatile to possibly survive itself. Maybe they have seen how it is with people, the hate and violence. The ugliness of mankind is too far gone to be saved."
"Does that mean that incredibly smart people can never be happy?"
"Anyone can be happy. All you need to do is to open your life to love. For you, you must begin by loving yourself. You look at your job and house and life and wish for something special. Another jobless, homeless man would dream to be in your shoes. Every time we fail to appreciate something we have, we have lost a slice of happiness."
The man went back home chastised and enlightened. All his life, he failed to understand that he should have been counting the little blessings he always had. Food, clothes, a roof over his head, a job that paid his expenses, and the gift of life. With the advice he received, his life became more colourful and meaningful. Granted, he still did not have his expensive car or luxurious house, but that did not matter to him as much now.
Happiness is worth much more than material wealth.
Except when one day he came across another quote:
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are so confident while the intelligent are full of doubt.- Bertrand Russell
A dreadful thought occurred in his head:
What if, the wise man, so confident in his words, was stupid and wrong? Why was he not more careful and unsure about his ideas, as intelligent people would?He was terribly upset. The man mulled over the implications for days and weeks, before finally mustering enough courage to confront the wise man again.
"Sir, how can you be sure that love is the key to happiness? Perhaps you were wrong?"
To which the wise man replied: "Young man, I never claimed to be correct - I was only sharing my opinion, which may be wrong and most certainly incomplete. However, I must point out that not all stupid people are confident, and not all intelligent people are doubtful. I do not claim to be either."
"Well, if you weren't sure as to whether your views were correct, why did you bother to share them with me? What if you are wrong and it isn't true?"
"Ah, you asked me your questions, so I gave you my answers. But if what I said led you to happiness, then wasn't it true for you?"
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Saturday, January 14
A man was depressed. He saw no good from anything at all. The cup was always half-empty, things always went wrong, no one could understand him. Every day he would be an uphill struggle to get through. He had a boring job, a plain house, an ordinary life. If only he could have an exciting job, like those celebrities he watches on television every night. If only he could live in an extravagant mansion, like those tycoons he read about on the newspapers every morning. If only he lived an extraordinary life.
One day he read this quote:
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.- Ernest Hemingway
It immediately became clear to him that he was different. The only reason why he was so jaded with life was that he was
too intelligent. He could not work boring jobs, stay in plain houses, or live mundanely. He was meant for greater things. He deserved better. Suddenly his unhappiness was justified. For a brief period, he was happy.
But slowly and surely, he sank back down into self-pity. He realised that telling himself that he was more intelligent was little consolation for the lousy life he was living. In the depths of his sorrow, he finally sought out a wise man and lamented: "Life was unfair: How can those less intelligent people be happily enjoying their lifestyle while I - who is more intelligent - end up in this hole?"
The wise man shook his head and replied: "You are not intelligent. If you were truly intelligent, you would understand that there will always be disparity between the rich and the poor. You would know that intelligence does not decide if you were at the top of the ladder, or down below. And then, you would not complain to me about fate's 'unfair' treatment towards you."
He was shocked at this revelation, that all this time he was being fooled by himself. In a fluster, he made one more attempt at deciphering his sorry state.
"But why do I always feel sad? Why am I rarely happy? Wasn't it said that happiness is rarely found in intelligent people?"
"Intelligent people believe that they see more than others. They believe that they know more than the average crowd. And what they
think they know is that the future is bleak. That every action is futile against inevitable end. Perhaps they feel suddenly reach a conclusion that life is meaningless, or that humanity is too volatile to possibly survive itself. Maybe they have seen how it is with people, the hate and violence. The ugliness of mankind is too far gone to be saved."
"Does that mean that incredibly smart people can never be happy?"
"Anyone can be happy. All you need to do is to open your life to love. For you, you must begin by loving yourself. You look at your job and house and life and wish for something special. Another jobless, homeless man would dream to be in your shoes. Every time we fail to appreciate something we have, we have lost a slice of happiness."
The man went back home chastised and enlightened. All his life, he failed to understand that he should have been counting the little blessings he always had. Food, clothes, a roof over his head, a job that paid his expenses, and the gift of life. With the advice he received, his life became more colourful and meaningful. Granted, he still did not have his expensive car or luxurious house, but that did not matter to him as much now.
Happiness is worth much more than material wealth.
Except when one day he came across another quote:
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are so confident while the intelligent are full of doubt.- Bertrand Russell
A dreadful thought occurred in his head:
What if, the wise man, so confident in his words, was stupid and wrong? Why was he not more careful and unsure about his ideas, as intelligent people would?He was terribly upset. The man mulled over the implications for days and weeks, before finally mustering enough courage to confront the wise man again.
"Sir, how can you be sure that love is the key to happiness? Perhaps you were wrong?"
To which the wise man replied: "Young man, I never claimed to be correct - I was only sharing my opinion, which may be wrong and most certainly incomplete. However, I must point out that not all stupid people are confident, and not all intelligent people are doubtful. I do not claim to be either."
"Well, if you weren't sure as to whether your views were correct, why did you bother to share them with me? What if you are wrong and it isn't true?"
"Ah, you asked me your questions, so I gave you my answers. But if what I said led you to happiness, then wasn't it true for you?"
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