In 2021, Fuck Happiness. Make Meaning Instead.

I am raising my young son to understand that life here on planet Earth includes pain and uncertainty. Recently, he took a tumble in which the back of his head smacked against a naked concrete floor in a North American garage. “Ouch!” Those of us who were privileged to be raised with skates and bicycles most likely know this sensation intimately.

My son cried his eyes out as I empathized with him and rocked him in my arms. Then, he felt angry, as though he were entitled to a life free of discomfort. So I shared with him that he was simply experiencing what most of us — including me — have already gone through.

Then, the 13-year old we were staying with at the time, came into the garage to inquire what had happened. After I told her, I asked if she had experienced something similar. Hearing how he wasn’t alone in his distress comforted him and he was soon back on his feet, ready to flip around the aerial yoga swing hanging overhead once more. (Except, this time, I remembered to push the rug underneath him. :( )

Life on planet Earth means that there is gravity to contend with as well as the fact that animal eats animal here — it is just the nature of it. Death is coming for each of us — we simply don’t know when. It is one of the greatest mysteries of all. We come here and celebrate our annual birth-days. Imagine if we celebrated the…