There have been times in my life where I was happy but didn’t realize it until it was too late, so this checks out.
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” Andy Bernard
I mean… I would expect most happy people don’t really fully appreciate it unless they consciously work on it… our brains are wired to notice pain - we adapt to comfort. It’s why people who already have the world still want MORE.
I think culture plays a huge part in this. In heavily industrialized countries (like America, for example), we are taught that more is always better and that living a simple life is somehow shameful or a waste of potential (not everyone believes this, of course - I’m generalizing). Many, many studies have consistently shown that the happiest people on earth are often those who lead the simplest lives. Perspective really is everything.
Maybe you have been and you just never knew it.
As someone who’ve struggled through life, my impression is that a lot of people who dont’t, often don’t realise how happy they are. It’s like they are so used to being satisfied they don’t really notice the happiness because they are so used to it
Dave Gorman did a stand-up bit about this. His version goes something like
If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it clap your hands
If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it clap your hands
But if you’re happy and don’t know it, or unhappy and you do
Then the clauses in this song do not apply to you
But if you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it
Then, and only then, please clap your hands
If your mood is ambiguous, make a sound!
A lot of people have everything they need to be happy but their perspectives keep them unhappy… It might not be exactly the premise given but it’s pretty close. 👍
One time I was both fine and dandy for about an hour, but nobody asked how I was!
And it implies that if you were happy and didn’t know it, you’d clap anyway if the song didn’t clarify.
I think it’s incredibly true.
Sometimes you don’t know how good you have it until your “rock bottom” turns out to be an elevator which is now headed down a mineshaft 😭
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Edit: Yes, I low that is a helix.
Most of the time, yeah
I like the cover of this song
