Thought of the Day 09.09.08

Consider for a moment some of the contradictory things our culture teaches us:

~Earn as much as you can, but feel guilty if you have more than others.
~Eat every delicacy you can afford, but be sure to stay thin and fit.
~Enjoy sex as often as you like, but avoid having too many children.
~It’s who you are on the inside that really matters, but plastic surgery is helpful, too.
~Religion is so important that it must be protected by our Constitution, but religion is so unimportant that you can be totally fulfilled without it.

Unhappiness can come from many sources, but unhappiness is virtually guaranteed whenever you internalize incompatible values. Thus, a culture which actively promotes conflicting messages must inevitably produce miserable citizens. And the only solution is to either be countercultural or heavily medicated. But real happiness is not for sale in a pharmacy.