I think everyone has one of those friends, or at least acquaintances, that appears to stay positive all the time. No matter what happens to them or in the world, they always manage to tie a pretty pink bow on everything and turn those frowns upside down.
There is a modern saying, "never trust a junkie." It's not that junkies are bad or untrustworthy, it's just that they can't help themselves. The scorpion and the frog parable comes to mind.
I'd like to introduce a new modern saying , "never trust someone who's always happy." It's not that people who are happy are bad or untrustworthy, it's just that they can't help themselves.
Some of you may be thinking that surely a person who is very zen or uber spiritual could be happy all the time. And then I would reply, " what a load of shite!" If you still reside on the earth plain then you haven't achieved divine enlightenment and still have to follow the earthly playbook. And that is perfectly fine and part of my musings today.
There is a reason that the yin and yang symbol is black and white. It's the duality of our existence, male and female, dark and light. To deny one is to deny one half of yourself. That's a lot! And of course, you are not perfectly balanced all the time. Throughout your day you should switch back and forth depending on the circumstances. Angry one moment, joyful the next, sad or frustrated. But definitely not happy all the time.
And that my friends is why people who embrace their darkness are far more balanced than those ' happy all the time ' freaks! That's why we read horror and watch horror and write horror. That's why we purposefully watch scary movies in dimly lit rooms and scare the crap out of ourselves. Isn't that the time we feel most alive? And the bonus factor is that it's not real and there is no physical threat to our lives. But our minds don't realize that and react as if the situation is real - what fun!
I, personally, embrace my darkness. We have a very healthy relationship. I brood, I anger, I sadden, I despair. I love scary things, sad things and dystopian futures. And I love to read and watch creations with these themes. I believe I am a balanced person and attribute that balance to embracing the dark and the light. Of course, one can go to the dark extreme as well like nihilism. Been there, done that and got the tee shirt! At one point I was a member of a fairly dark industrial band and that type of nihilistic scene attracted me. I remember thinking, this is crazy - I don't hate everything anymore and decided a more balanced approach was the way to go. Funny, now I can hardly stand that style of music.
So, to wrap up, give your dark side a hug now and then because it gets lonely. Embrace your darkness as much as you embrace the light.
And for those of you that are happy all the time - get help - you're sick!
