About life and stress

Day 263 / 366

I saw a video today about a news debate where they interviewed a random person from the audience. He started saying how he is 57 lakhs in debt because of gambling apps. He said that he had qualified for JEE mains but lost all the savings he had for his BTech on gaming apps. He started crying when he mentioned that no one from his family now talks to him.

Maybe the internet has just become a sadder place, but all I see these days online are people going through tough times. There are employees taking their lives due to a stressful work environment. And then there are students who are doing the same because a faculty failed them for not having enough attendance.

This reminds me of that standup bit by Louis CK where he says how funny it is that we live in the best of times, everything is perfect yet everyone is miserable. We have the best of the technologies, the world is more connected than ever. We have the best on-demand entertainment. Yet People are unhappy.

My guess is that because things are so good, people’s expectations have gotten higher as well. No one is happy with just an OK life. Everyone wants something more. Everyone wants to one-up their friends, their colleagues. And when they can’t live up to those expectations they get sad.

I think people should just start finding happiness in the lives that they have and not try to achieve some imaginary goals in order to get happy. As someone who has had these material goals and achieved some of them, I can assure you that the happiness you get from them is short-lived. Long-lasting happiness comes from accepting your day-to-day mundane life.