TEDxSalford

5 ways to Fail and be Unhappy

Having been an Internet user since a relatively youthful age, I have seen the changes and developments; it’s use has expanded beyond any of our comprehension. One thing I have noticed is the rise in (and demand for) self-help, from the paranoid hellhole of NHS Direct, to what has turned into a depressing endeavor in the Stumble Upon mental health option. However, the limitations of this style of help is rarely raised considering the widespread use. 

Having read the excellent articles on Happiness from my fellow TEDxSalford bloggers, I thought I would try an alternative slant on the topic, pessimistically assessing the ways in which we can fail.

1. Become reliant on drugs. Nothing quite condemns oneself to long-term unhappiness like your very wellbeing depending on substance abuse. (Apart from Alcohol because that’s legal!!!).
2. Isolate yourself from loved ones. What better way to become unhappy than to burn all your bridges and forget about those who love you most?
3. Eradicate all productivity. Self-loathing galore as doing nothing produces that unique sensation of worthlessness.
4. Disrespect other members of the public. Reap what you sew, ruining your day, giving and receiving dirty looks from random citizens.
5. Listen to chart music. Nothing eats away at the soul more than the money making machine of contemporary pop music.

It is with an obvious degree of irony I write this article (apart from point 5), and if that is not evident then this could be a short-lived blogging career and I suggest you move on. The point I’m trying to make, if any, is that the answers do not lie on the Internet. The sheer quantity leaves us with a mixed quality of advice and who’s to really say.

Although there is undoubtedly good advice out there, the convenience to ask Google for answers displays the therapeutic side of the Internet and the cultural digression to confide in it.  Surely an individual’s interpretation of a web page lacks the substance and interaction of what advice is really about. I do not know what the key to happiness is, but believe concerns regarding unhappiness are best dealt with verbally rather than digitally.

This advice itself is a contradiction, as this article remains very much online. And I, like Michael’s post on happiness, offer no answers. However, a good start would be to ignore the 5 points I previously made.