Here’s what I think of it now: it’s overrated. The thirteenth-century Persian poet Rumi said, “We seek neither to despair, nor rejoice.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, but I’ll try. What I think Rumi meant is, life is ineffable. It’s too weird and complex to reduce down to a single word such as happy. Life is relentless, it’s very much in session, and it’s throwing everything it’s got at us at all times. So congratulations, you get to feel the full spectrum of human emotions life has to offer, and if you’ve done the work, if you’ve participated in life and not run from it, then you’re
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