Wisdom

Some wisdom comes with age. My latest enlightenment is: Don't make others' problem my problem. Lately I've been realizing that there's very few truly happy people. Some I understand why they are unhappy, others I don't. For me, I try to maintain an uppity mood. When your mother committed suicide and there's suicidal from your paternal side also, you learn to keep your mood elated. And I don't mean via any chemical means. And, sometimes, unfortunately, shit inevitably happens -- an unpleasant day at work, some unpleasant encounter with strangers, etc. And I have a bad habit of not easily letting things go, no matter how hard I try. Because of that, I already have occasionally battle my not-so-uppity mood so it's wise to avoid making others' problem my problem.

It's very important to distinguish whether a problem is your problem, or another individuals. For example, if you are in an unhappy marriage, it's your problem. If you are unhappy at work, it's your problem. If your friend are in an unhappy marriage, that's their problem. Notice that the saying "misery loves company" is RIGHT. People who are in unpleasant situations, i.e. bad marriage, loooves to sucker others in, i.e. wanting you to hang out with him and his spouse, as often as possible. This is a very good time to draw the line between his problem and yours. HE chooses to be with HER. It's HIS choice, not mine. Ergo, I am not obligated to share his misery. Someone who actively gets himself into unpleasant situations, i.e. always dating women who turn out to be big trouble. Again, it's his choice and his problem. First time, it's an unfortunate incident. Third time... he's subconsciously bringing it onto himself. Don't let him sucker you into "Oh, what should I do now?" or even bother telling him "Don't do that again."

Ergo, lesson of the day: in order to maintain an elated mood at maximum number of days possible, distinguish between your problem and others' problem. And don't let the others' problems get to you, even if you offer to help!