Sometimes, things change. Days can go from sunny to rainy, rainy to sunny. I often find that the days which I think will be the greatest often turn out to be some of the worst. So, after a while, I woke up every morning with the mentality that every day was going to be horribly boring. It worked for awhile, I won't lie. However, my reverse psychology eventually failed on me. I have recently came to the conclusion that life is what I make of it.
I have been learning much about Aristotle lately in my honors English course. It's interesting, sometimes sort of tedious. Aristotle has been my favorite out of any philosopher that my class has studied so far because he believes in the golden mean. The middle way. One cannot lean towards an extreme, for they will not be ultimately satisfied. They must lean towards the middle, with a great deal of balance. If I wake up in the morning anticipating a bright day filled with endless sunshine, I will be disappointed. If I wake up believing my day will be of no significance, then my day will be just that. Both of these mentalities will never work.
Aristotle once said that, "happiness depends upon ourselves." He did not believe that friendship can ultimately make a person happy. He did not believe that family can lead to happiness. He did not believe that even God can even make someone smile inside. Don't get me wrong, he believed that those are key factors in achieving happiness and contentment, but, in the end, it is a choice to be happy. It is a day to day decision. People cannot just wake up "happy."
Now, when I wake up, I believe that the day will be a good one. I do not have high expectations, nor do I have low ones. I choose to be content. I understand that whatever happens will happen, so be it.
