Perceived Happiness

The reality of danger is one that most people overlook in the pursuit of perceived happiness.
  Or, better explained- Some are simply incapable of compound thought that leads to the discovery that happiness is in fact perceived. So the real danger that is overwhelmingly prolific, simply never strikes them as such.
  Happiness is conjured or wiped clean like so many sticky fingerprints in the width and breadth of a moment... All it takes is one moment to irrevocably change the course of our lives. Yet, as I look around, all I see is people trapped in the confines of their misconceived safety, which in no way leads to long term happiness.
 
  The path to discontent is generally well maintained, holes filled and smoothed over, but ends in an unexpected, quite tragic drop. One moment you are strolling along with ease, the next you find yourself falling into an unknown chasm. It surely was a pleasant road to get there too, but of course there were signs, and you ignored them for they were contradictory to the path.
  Happiness, that mythical creature, you see it in every cloud, every leaf caught on the wind, the laughter of a child, colors seem brighter, coffee smoother, and everything tastes sweeter... It is all perceived as such. It is how the mind (heart) processes various stimuli, then deciphers the code into usable snippets of emotion.        
  Problem is, that when perceived happiness is categorized as absolute safety, averting the inevitable disaster that follows is not only improbable, but impossible. The only option left, is to save face.

  Upon this discovery of what happiness is, I have begun a metamorphosis, though my wings are nowhere near ready to unfurl, taking flight in my new form seems the next step in exploration of this form, and in furthering the transcendence into the realization that again I will change, and again, and again to forms unknown.
  Understanding my perception of happiness, outside of the boxes that societal normality has demanded it be placed in, is equipping me for the winding, craggy path to it's peak. I may never reach that peak. Maybe it doesn't exist above the cover of clouds which obscure any possible view of the summit. Maybe I perceive something so vast that there is no peak, only the continual climb into endless immeasurable space. The views from up there are beautiful.
  Maybe, happiness is the climb, not the destination... that was the thought which began the transformation.

  In what context you choose to perceive (for it is a choice, your choice) happiness, and whatever it looks like from your spot along the path, keeping in mind that taking two steps forward, or one back will change that perspective, happiness can not be contained in any one box.
  A lesson hard learned through the past 10 years worth of heartache, now applied with the slightest twinge of bitterness, remorse, and loathsome regret that so much of my youth was lost to a perception only I was at liberty to change.
  To the people who see only my cynical side, this is no surprise, they wish to only see the bitterness in me, when in fact, it is that bitterness in so many other things which permits for appreciation of all that is sweet. Without bitterness, chocolate would have no appeal...
  To those of you who see only the ill in me, and wish to begrudge me my learning experiences (which is precisely what you do, when expressing that one should only see the "happy" side of things) because of how it colors their own perception- I say this;
    If you are so affected by the thoughts, ideals, moods, and motives of others that you feel the need to voice your discomfort, perhaps it is time you step back from yourself long enough to evaluate why that particular perspective is so hard to wrap your mind around. Understanding the why should not affect your own perception, unless it is as yet un-solidified. In which case, new information can not harm, it benefits the mind/body/spirit to expand. Life is not all unicorns shitting rainbows, and it should not be treated with an air of whimsy which would imply that it is.

  I refuse to look at the ill, and become disillusioned enough to will myself into believing that it could be worse- which is to say, it is not that bad. Some things simply can become no more intense than they presently are, without involving wiping clean your existence from this chunk of  rock.  They should be acknowledged, accepted, and then (when possible) ignored so that the here and now can still be lived in.
  Happiness is not a goal to be reached, it is in every moment, you simply have to decide to experience it. However, without the presence of discontent in one form or another, it truly can not ever be appreciated- People live stereotypical "Happy" lives, and never experience happiness, for the frame of reference which it takes to appreciate what they take as granted, simply does not exist without having been forged in the fires of tragedy.