The Truth Shall Set You Free

According to yet another book on the subject, The Happiness Effect by Donna Freitas, young people today are obsessed with appearing happy on social media. To that end, they hide their true feelings and fabricate acceptable opinions, activities, resumes and just about everything else so that their peers will be impressed enough to "like" them on Facebook. Of the college students surveyed by the author, "A full 73% said they always try to appear happy."

Well guess what: I'm not young anymore and since I'm not in the market for a job, a mate or any new friends, I'm free to tell the truth: I'm not so happy most of the time. Ironically, a contributing factor to my unhappiness is that I am constantly being told, by strangers as well as folks who actually know me, to either "cheer up" or "relax!" This almost always pisses me off and makes me feel worse. Why would anyone in their right mind living in the United States circa 2017, with Donald Trump as president and the CIA and the FBI listening in on everyone's phone conversations including those of Trump himself, be either cheery or relaxed?

I say let it all hang out. For all you (or anyone else) know, it might even make you feel better.