I've never been (Un)happier

by Shaheen Bhatt

The assumption is that if you have a happy and comfortable life, you have no cause for, or no right to, the despair you’re feeling. We ask that a person pay a price before we allow them to hurt.

people who believe this also believe that those with ‘real problems’ don’t have the time or luxury to suffer from depression.)

We’re taught early in life to keep our emotions hidden and we’re especially taught that negative emotions have no place in a public domain.

you can buy happiness off the rack—but sadness is tailor-made just for you.

‘If someone calls you stupid and you are stupid, then it shouldn’t bother you because what they’re saying is true, and if someone calls you stupid and you aren’t stupid, then also it shouldn’t bother you because what they’re saying is not true. Neither the truth nor lies should trouble you.’

‘We’re the middle children of history. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war … our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.’

‘You must not allow your pain to be wasted,

I remind myself if happiness is fleeting, then so is sadness. I remind myself depression is the weather, and I’m a weather-worn tree. I remind myself even the worst storms pass. I remind myself I’ve survived them all.