Happiness Crutch Poem by Sean Kennedy

When you lie back and say to the world and yourself
I can die happy now
There is strong irony in the thought that finishing is victory
The release of your body after hard use, the comfort of cuddling on a couch, your mother's praise
Things that come after the real joy
Of struggle, resistance and the battle against your well know weaknesses
Research shows that the happiest of us are static; they stop reaching and yearning
The satisfaction can make them dull and done
No more degrees or promotions, little effort to change
If everything's perfect why not keep it the same?

With a critical eye I look at my past, with its loss, sorrow and even disdain
And find the best joys wrapped in exhaustion, steadfastness and persistence through pain
There are times to be angry, unsatisfied and lacking
To grow our selves stronger, to send people packing
A Darwinian approach to developing life
Fill it with challenge, difficulty and plenty of strife
Drop the boring, weak patterns that drain and detract
And raise the hardest of things that give the most back