The right to feel good

I realise that, in the later entries, I have been dealing mostly with things that worry me. I've also realised these 'darker' entries are a by-product of an intent not to be too peppy all the time, not in public, least of all in writing.

I suppose, to some extent, I still suffer from 'literary (artistic) prejudice'. That's when someone is immediately considered a 'better' author just because s/he deals with very serious matters (drugs, crime, depression, and similar). This person is then deemed to have a 'deeper understanding of society' by the mere fact that s/he chooses to dwell on the less auspicious sides or events. As a consequence, there are cases like that of Jane Austen, who was slighted for presenting the seemingly frivolous and partial existence of genteel society. Or the way some films are sneered at for being just 'feel good romps', automatically making them unable to carry a worthy message on life. 

This 'artistic prejudice' is a close relation to our denial of all things joyous. We are taught to respect the imposition of pain, horror and aggression as a means to 'educate us,' rather than to respect enjoyment, delight and kindness. Just like children who misbehave, the nasty stuff gets more attention. Naturally, we also want attention, recognition and praise. We curtail our exploration of nice things, calling them our 'guilty pleasures'; we become embarrassed of our dislike of certain pieces; we even profess to admire certain people, accepting their dooming dicta because they are acclaimed as 'learned'.

'Oh, of course it's great when we are all happy, but who gets a PhD in it? Just look at the high numbers of psychological afflictions our society suffers from,' some will say. Right, well, in fact, there are already a few people who specialise in the study of wellbeing and happiness. These people are considered sideliners to traditional psychology yet their numbers are on the rise. There is no shame in loving life: in loving joy, sunny days, babies or puppies. There is no shame in recognising there are problems but rather than focus on them, focus on implementing solutions.

Thus, I decree:
It is our inalienable right as Natural beings to be happy and avoid pain (so long we do not cause the loss of this right to any other Natural being).
It is our right to be honest about our likes and dislikes, whether they coincide with popular opinion or not.

It is our right to present our joys to the world so they can multiply.

It is our right to have our pink-tinged world respected, and not scorned.

And it is our right to create a predominantly happy reality.

It is our duty to make the Universe feel good.

It is our right to feel good.