Saturday, February 26, 2005

Cherophobia - Fear of Happiness

Maybe that's what I have. The reason I'm so morose and cynical, forever the idealistic pessimist. I was just telling someone today:

... sometimes I think I'll never be that (content) because my comfort zone requires some element of misery and despair, like I could be content, but if I were I wouldn't be comfortable; as if I was wearing itchy underwear :-D. I mean can you be truly happy wearing itchy underwear? I don't think I could.

1 comment:

Sido Lanters said...

You can get used to itchy underwear, but it's dangerous to get used to happiness, which would be to take it for granted and cease to appreciate it like I think you should.

I myself am afraid of happiness too sometimes. If I'd divide this fear into categories, there's the kind that makes you guilty in a way cause you think you don't deserve this kind of happiness; and there's the kind that can be defined as "the knowledge that "this too" will come to an end".

I think that first of all, you have to give yourself the chance, or the room, to be happy (to open your heart), and that second of all, I think that to have this kind of fear - to a certain extent - is healthy, cause it means you're conscious, you keep asking yourself questions about how you feel, and you don't take things for granted.

Also, I once read this quote by Paul Valery I really liked, it's:

"Happiness is not something you experience; it's something you remember."

Greetings,

Sido