HAPPINESS for real

Rat race. We thought ganyan ang buhay. We are all gearing, not to mention competing, towards the ultimate finish line- happiness. But it is no means easy.

I tried to learn driving. Experts say that when one finally learns to drive, it'll be like breathing. I tried...

But greez, I'm no expert driver. I can only managed to bring the car in and out of our vicinity on first gear. Ahm oh, I tried maybe twice or thrice (I cannot really remember exactly) that I drove the car along the highway. I almost hit a tricycle though and almost smashed my head right at the dashboard due to immediate break. What did the experts just say? It'll be like breathing? Holy cow, it's the other way around. From then on, I told myself, "Okay. driving isn't really your cup of tea. Over. I don't have to learn this thing. I can always have my brother as my driver whenever I have to go out anyway (silly excuses, but now he's married.. so how???)"

It made me realize that life is like a car. It just starts when we ignite it. It stops when we stepped on the break pedal. We totally control it. We are responsible as to how slow and how fast we get to the destination.We can bump, glide and crash with other cars too. We compete as to how cool our car looks or how fast can it get against others. If our car is "fast and furious," everyone stares at it with envious eyes. If it looks bad, everyone laughs at it. But no matter what our cars look like, we just aim for one thing- to get to our destination.

COOL. My dream car!

5Cs are essential. THEY SAY. 
CASH- geez everyone needs this! who doesn't?
CONDO- or house, we got to be sheltered of course
CAREER-  the measurement of success
CREDIT CARD- wow for maximum credit line; cashless spending
CAR- the status symbol; COOL

But are these the only things that matter? Are these the things that can really make us happy?

Yes maybe for a time. Until such time our condos and cars have worn out; cash won't be usable for no more goods are available because of a plague or disaster; we can no longer work due to an old age; and credit cards won't function because POS machines have broken down.

All these things depreciate. Now, could these really bring us happiness?

We aim for these things because in the eyes of people this is happiness. We people, wanted to be adored, be famous and be on top. We follow a certain norm but come to think of it, these measurement of success and happiness; rightness and wrongness are just based on the standards of mere human beings.

Just like a car, no matter it's porsche or toyota box type 80s model the only reason that we bought a car is for it to bring us to our point of destination. It doesnt matter if you're rich, middle class or poor, there is only one thing that you and I aim in life- happiness.

Life is such a precious gift that we should take good care of. It's more than what the material world dictates us to have. It's about being yourself and continuously discovering who you really are. It is not bad to dream of having all these things but it is, if your life is all about these.

Finding the real happiness? If time comes that you will be more than willing to give up all these things, ready to let yourself go.. then you just found it.

Come on, break loose!