The proponent which creates and fosters such a population of self-worthlessness is the action of sourcing happiness. Deriving what one feels they require from a secondary source instead of creating it in and for the primary one. It becomes a cyclical flush of not finding lasting, quality balm or satisfaction from the secondary and turning desperately toward the tertiary with similar results.
Our belief that happiness can be obtained from person or circumstance prevents us from ever actually experiencing it. And whether it’s in the form of despairing for the attention of a certain cohort in middle school to feel significant or decorating our bodies with clothing, makeup and jewelry, our homes with sleek vehicles in the driveway or arches in the entryway our missions to capture happiness flicker and fail in our hands and our attempts.
Essentially you have to reach (and yes I mean to imply journey, work and struggle) a point at which you realize your ability to affect the events of the world. It seems a bit monstrous, perhaps a bit ridiculous on the surface but we do actually get to choose the scale and influence our existence can have in the parts and time of the world we were born in. Knowing that, we can easily find within ourselves the courage to reject every person and idea which does not promote that truth. We can measure our value by the amount of people and opportunities we strengthen rather than by the amount of people and opportunity of people who strengthen us. This is important because the people we are requiring fulfillment from, have nothing with which to fill you, as they are also sourcing rather than creating.
Therefore and hopefully in realizing that, we cease our search for purpose and instead realize that we already have it — and that likely it wouldn’t come from Liam in Algebra II even if we didn’t. Each day presents opportunity for us to create and then remain focused on productivity which I define as: the act of compassion. We find ways where our ideas, our temperaments and our hands can create opportunities and destroy barriers. The concept of “changing the world” is believed to be an impossible task, but because we are of the world, changing the life of one person has consequently changed a component of the world. Your interactions with others can both inspire great work and can also smother malicious work.
Humans seek to justify their meaning to the world… to do that, be meaningful.
Be careful not to hinge self-worth onto fleeting things, and directionless people. If you allow another person to try to source their happiness from you, they will never find it and will resent or leave you because of it. Likewise you will resent and leave others who are incapable of doing a job you’re meant to do for yourself. You cannot find something that has not been created. We are allocated vast amounts of happiness but the condition is that we must create it. We must be aware and dutiful in our life, quite selflessly, to experience the joy we try to obtain selfishly.
