Positive Mood Swinging
I wrote a post a couple days ago about the optimal mood state. The ever insightful Joel made a telling comment:
"I don't want flat. I'd like a little variety...Being in one mood all the time? I just don't want to be the same flat effect regardless of where the needle is set".
I'm right with you Joel. A good time to share a letter I wrote last year. I've been an avid "letters to the editor" practitioner for many years. Lots got published but the big prize, Time Magazine eluded me for years. Man, I wrote letters on everthing to that editor. But it was kinda appropriate that when I did finally crack Time, it was about their lead feature on depression:
"Whilst your article points out that continual happiness is not feasible from an evolutionary perspective it fails to acknowledge a potentially deeper purpose of unhappiness. Are happy episodes in an individual’s life not measured against the sad episodes? Even Einstein showed that all things are relative. What would a state of unwavering happiness really be like, other than a bland monotone devoid of texture and contrast? Perhaps unhappiness defines happiness as surely as night defines day. "
Yeah, it's on my Best Acheivements list, so excuse me while I blow my trumpet.
That's quite an accomplishment there. Goes to show that persistence always eventually pays off. Excellent article.
ReplyDeleteIn Conversations with God, God goes on at great lengths about relativity, after all we live in a relative world - primarily.
ReplyDeleteYour drawing attention to happiness vs sadness is pertinent for sure, and hey it got you published, well done.
Ive always loved this story God tells in CWG about the little candle that didn't know who it was, because it stood with all the other candles, and therefore could not see itself shine. So God created darkness, and sent the little candle into it, that it may shine bright, and fully know itself.
I concurr, in the absence of sadness, you cannot know happiness.
PS: You might want to check out propranolol (inderal in US) for the shakes, its really helping me and it addresses migraines also as an off-list use.
Huh, well I can tell you from the perspective of someone working for a newspaper (I understand it has circulation of 30-60,000 a wide margin I know) AND being the lucky dog that types in the non-emailed letters to the editor (note: Please email these suckers, its so much easier)I can say we certainly enjoy our 'steady writers.' One guy will sometimes continue to write in the exactly same letter until it publishes.
ReplyDeleteI also get to 'verify' letters to the editor. This means I call folks up and say, "Did you send us a letter to the editor?" to which they reply, "Why, yes I did!" I have some specifically repeat writers (I think of them as a husband and wife team) that like to ask me which one it is and proceed to try to engage me in political debate. But I am so sly, I get out of it because that's not my job man. I'm just the verifier, have a nice day.
Daily I ask myself the benefits of this job for me. With the bereaved and funeral homes for the obituary part that I do, I don't know. I just don't know. One of these days I'll up and quit, but I want to do it right. :)