The Little Things

Last night when I was surfing the Internet, I discovered a picture of something very poignant. The text of a book excerpt really resonated with me today, so I thought I would share it. 

"The world is increasingly designed to depress us. Happiness isn't very good for the economy. If we were happy with what we had, why would we need more? How do you sell an anti-[aging] [moisturizer]? You make someone worry about [aging]. How do you get people to vote for a political party? You make them worry about immigration. How do you get them to buy insurance? By making them worry about everything. How do you get them to have plastic surgery? By highlighting their physical flaws. How do you get them to watch a TV show? By making them worry about missing out. How do you get them to buy a new smartphone? By making them feel like they are left behind. 

To be calm becomes a kind of revolutionary act. To be happy with your own non-upgraded existence. To be comfortable with our messy, human selves, would not be good for business."

I admit, the obsessive spelling corrector in me had the correct spellings of words underneath brackets. But the message taken from Matt Haig's Reasons to Stay Alive is very poignant. Sometimes I ask myself why I'm not always content with what I have and why I need more. Because it is hard to be content with what you are given, and society says that what you have is not enough. 

But Rebecca Bunch from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend would always say this: "The situation's a lot more nuanced than that." I don't think it is not just the big things we have to be content about, but it is also the little things. The little things that make us smile every day. The little things that make us human, like our messy hair, our smile lines, everything. 

So, let's just try to be content with the little things we have. That's all I am asking.