Secret of Life

When I was a teenager I had this figured out. I was so sure that I knew what the secret of life was. I wrote about it in my old coiled notebook which was the first version of “Silent Cacophony.” I still haven’t been able to find this book but I have a few places where it could still be hiding on me. I just haven’t had the time to launch an extensive search but one day I will.

City Slickers had a great take on this theme. Curly, played by Jack Palance, shared his belief on this subject by holding up his index finger. That was the secret of life, he said. It’s one thing. It was a succinct way of saying that everyone already has the secret of life at the tip of their fingers. Curly explained that it is something that everyone needs to figure out on their own.

When I was a teenager I thought I had it all figured out. I believed that life was about finding what makes you happy and doing it. I also thought that you needed to help other people to get what they want as well. By doing both of these things you could have a happy life. The whole point of living is to be happy.

I still think that we are meant to be happy in this life. I think that most people will agree with me. But being self-centered and not caring about others is not the way to do it. If you are happy but your neighbours or family members aren’t, then it doesn’t really count.

I heard someone say this on television this week but I can’t remember where it is from. They said that life is about passion and sharing it with others. So if you can find something that you love and do that, then you will be happy. If you share that passion and pass it on to others then they will also be happy.

I know this sounds completely simple. Life is complicated and hard to figure out. And of course we can’t be happy all the time but maybe working towards happiness and pursuing it is what life is all about. I could be wrong, who knows?


4 responses to “Secret of Life”

  1. Works for me!

    The American Founding Fathers shared that same sentiment, placing premium value, even staking their lives, on the human right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

  2. I suppose you’re right chase, that it is the pursuit of happiness. Maybe that’s why the world’s filled with misery, so that the happy people recognise that they’ve achieved life’s goals. Or I could be spewing nonsense right now, it could be my fever. I apologize.

  3. My question is why do we does it have to be a pursuit. Do we really need to look that hard for happiness? I don’t think it is as elusive as it appears.

    I wonder if misery exists just so that we can really know what happiness is. You might have a point there chipazoid.