Happiness is measured in
bonds. ♥
Friendship:
A Wellspring For Happiness
I
began this week with a single idea in mind: less is more. One of my childhood
sins is and has always been to make my school assignments longer than
required—much longer! I know it, my teachers know it, and my peers know it: I
have an irresistible knack for length. On one too many occasions I have been
urged to put into practice something called “the economy of words”—in other
words writing less. Ultimately, I have named this week my initial test
drive. So here we go. :)
* * * * *
* * * * *
Life
is all abount bonds—bonds to family, bonds to friends, bonds to items of
sentimental value, bonds to pets, and even bonds to bank accounts. In The Happiness Project, Gretchen sheds
some light upon the pivotal role of social bonds in personal happiness.
According to her research, social bonds are
by far the most meaningful
contributor to happiness. In order to thrive, one must learn to maintain close
long-term relationships with true
friends, through true bonds. The
thing about bonds, however, is that they—like anything else—require work,
commitment, time, and energy. Over the past year, I have severely slacked in
this department.
As
I read Gretchen’s research, I was instantly taken aback. The extent to which I
have been and continue to underestimate the importance of friendship in my life
has reached a point of blatant shamefulness. I have come to realize that I no
longer invest enough time into connection with the social dimension of the
world around me. Over the past year specifically, I have immersed myself so
deeply in academic achievement that I have neglected to tend to my
relationships with my close friends, my family members, and my peers. I have
not introduced new friendships into my life—save one or two—I have let some friendships fade, and I have isolated myself behind a
wall of books to such a degree that I have forgotten what it feels like to just have
fun with people my age.
I
thus identified “friendship” as a principal realm that I need to address in
order to achieve happiness. The more I think about it, the more I realize how
perfectly the idea resonates with my current state of affairs. I often find
myself most dissatisfied when I feel lonely and when I look at other people who
have invested time in building a circle of friends. These
reflections of my personal failure have, in the past, incited me to interact
with people, but often I would let these fresh bonds wither. I also realized
that I am happier when I am around people with whom I can be silly, laugh, talk too loud, and
simply have a good time. I have thus decided to invest myself more in social
bonding as, apparently, it is food for the soul and a catalyst for happiness.
I also came to another realization. The
reason why people feel inclined to dislike me is because I have divorced myself
so extensively from the social scene. They think that I think that I am better than
them. Well this week, I am changing that. From here on out, I want my happiness
to thrive out of the social bonds I build with others. I want to show people the fun, less uptight side of Mathilde. I want to revitalize the
importance of friendships in my life. And I want to be happy by making those
who surround me happy. This recent epiphany aligns rather perfectly with my
invitation to a party this Friday. What can I say? Mathilde is stepping
out! :)
* * * * *
In my opinion, I
didn’t do such a bad job in terms of length. We’re getting somewhere.
-Sign MAPL∞
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