Everyday I see people with the same face; a flat, expressionless face. Their eyes see nothing. None of them notice me; they are all focused on where they have to be, and what they have to do. It seems to me that none of them are happy because they don't have time to be.
In the United States we learn from a young age that being successful is the main objective in life. Being successful is also synonymous with having status. How come being happy is not the objective? How come we assume that being successful goes hand in hand with being happy? Because it does not. Those people that we deem so successful seem unhappy. When you see them on T.V. you see worry and anxiety. In fact, they seem constantly in stress. Why is this? And why is this side affect of being successful not important?
We also learn that to be successful you have to set goals. We are taught to set goals in every aspect of our lives, for everyday of every week of every year. Every minute that we are alive we have a goal we must achieve in order to be successful. Yet, when one becomes successful, there are still things to be had, and goals to set. We are never done making goals, and we are never truly living. Being alive is not working to get what you want, it's realizing what you already have. It is noticing the world around you and not the world you want to live in. When we set goals for something we want, we no longer notice what is around us, or what we have, because we become obsessed with rushing towards that goal. Our choices are now in pursuit of that goal; everything we do is now in pursuit of that goal. Once this happens, we are not living anymore. We are those people that I described above, the expressionless, flat faced people. We see nothing, but our end goal.
All those successful people that we long to be are not all that successful because they are not content. In fact, they have a hunger that will never be satisfied. They have had a taste of what it is like to attain your biggest dreams, and they now feel that the next goal is also accomplishable. This a vicious cycle that will never end until they realize that what they have is also what they always wanted. They also have more things to lose, and therefore more things to be worried about.
Always in a rush to succeed by accomplishing our goals, we don't enjoy the moment. The key is not to not have dreams. The key is to enjoy the process of getting to your dreams and not to always be in "need" of something. To notice what is going on around you and not become so preoccupied by what you have to do that you forget to live. Don't hurry through life so that you can get the thing you want. You wont be happy if you're always in a haste to have the next thing you desire. Remember that we can't see or live once we are dominated by what we want.
What is a role? A position you fill? Is it one you are forced to fill? Or is it a position that you wish you didn't have? Here, I am not talking about any specific roles, like your role in your job, or your house, I am talking about all the people you are in your life. Are you a mother or a father? What about a daughter or son? A teacher or student? A manager or a worker? What about a child or an adult? An athlete? These are all roles that people play and they play a significant part in limiting our way of thinking.
We all play a role, and what I am going to ask you to do right now is think about all the ones you play. Think about how they make you behave, and how they make you feel. Do you feel happy in these roles? Sad? Stressed? Stuck? If you feel any of those things you have become the person in that role; you now identify yourself with that role and it is difficult to see yourself out of the role. Now why is that? It is difficult to see yourself as someone out of a role one you have identified with a role, because society has set certain expectations with your role. We feel as though we must meet these expectations in our roles to be accepted as apart of society. However, doesn't that just sound like these expectations are a tool of control?
Yes, it does. Once we play a role, we have become part of society, therefore under control by society. This fact makes us easier to be near because people know that we will act accordingly to our role. If you are someone who fights with their roles in society or the rules that bind you to a role, then you are possibly frightening to others because your behaviors can not be predicted by your role. This results in fewer relationships and a struggle with society. Then, discontentment. Nevertheless, this can be averted by a belief in yourself and a willingness to live your life just as it is.
Now how does this all happen? We become our roles at a very young age when we are learning how important rules are. And yes, rules are important, but we also learn that we must follow the rules of our roles. We then practice this through the ages until we can no longer distinguish which is the role thinking and which is us thinking. Try to forget what the expectations are of a role and then you will be allowed to think for yourself. The best example of a person who does this is Fox Mulder, a FBI agent in the X Files. For all of those people who have watched the X Files, you understand what I am saying. Mulder did not act in the way anyone would expect an agent would, this allowed him to think "outside- of- the- box" and solve cases others wouldn't have been able to.
Although a loss in relationships may seem scary and unfavorable, can you say that you would rather live always abiding by the rules of your roles without question, a pawn of society? Or does a life of question and liberation, but a possible disconnect from society seem better for you? Just remember what Mark Twain said, "Be good and you will be lonesome", which can mean whatever you want it to mean, but to me it means to always do your right even if that means fewer relationships and a smaller audience. However, a person's decision to do their "right" should involve thinking about others, what the consequences of their decision may be, and an overall value of life. Forgetting any of those things produces criminals. Doing by your right, will give you a contentment in your life without the admission into a society that expects you to act a certain way.
In the United States we learn from a young age that being successful is the main objective in life. Being successful is also synonymous with having status. How come being happy is not the objective? How come we assume that being successful goes hand in hand with being happy? Because it does not. Those people that we deem so successful seem unhappy. When you see them on T.V. you see worry and anxiety. In fact, they seem constantly in stress. Why is this? And why is this side affect of being successful not important? 
We also learn that to be successful you have to set goals. We are taught to set goals in every aspect of our lives, for everyday of every week of every year. Every minute that we are alive we have a goal we must achieve in order to be successful. Yet, when one becomes successful, there are still things to be had, and goals to set. We are never done making goals, and we are never truly living. Being alive is not working to get what you want, it's realizing what you already have. It is noticing the world around you and not the world you want to live in. When we set goals for something we want, we no longer notice what is around us, or what we have, because we become obsessed with rushing towards that goal. Our choices are now in pursuit of that goal; everything we do is now in pursuit of that goal. Once this happens, we are not living anymore. We are those people that I described above, the expressionless, flat faced people. We see nothing, but our end goal. 
