“Consider what your version of happiness is.”
This request left me feeling sad. I didn’t break down and cry, but I felt a familiar emptiness accompanied by pain in my stomach characteristic of a heartbreak.
My version of happiness ended over a month ago when my relationship of nearly five years ended. Since then, I have struggled to find another source of happiness, but given this prompt, I have put more thought into the question– What makes me happy?
My friends make me happy. The Office makes me happy. Meeting new people makes me happy. Chinese food makes me happy. Online shopping makes me happy. All of these trivial things have helped to fill the void, but upon deep thought, I came to the realization that I have not yet found my true source of happiness.
This realization did not make me sad, it made me hopeful. Happiness exists, I just haven’t found it yet.
Not knowing my own version of happiness, I decided to contemplate things that I am passionate about. Being a person who thrives on debates, I thought back to the endless arguments and rants. Oddly enough, two things came to mind– sexism and generational stereotypes.
I have only recently become a self-proclaimed feminist. Due to fear of being associated with “man-haters,” I kept my feminist beliefs closeted. However, coming to Penn State only ignited my passion for fighting sexism. Not only are females discriminate against on this campus, so are males.
Similarly, I have a passion for combating generational stereotypes. As a young Millennial, I have great opposition to the reputation my generation has assumed. Lazy, entitled, selfish, technology-absorbed, socially-impaired, and many more things have become “characteristics of Millennials.” Generally speaking, stereotypes are absurd, but I am especially angered by generational stereotypes.
These topics are not my passion, but they involve my passion– debate.
I really appreciated the honesty you took in writing this post. The way you really dug deep into yourself to reveal your true passions was inspiring. As for your passion, I love that it is all about empowerment of not only women but men as well. I enjoy how you show how strong your passion for debating is by your experience of emancipating your beliefs. Although, I would’ve enjoyed more background on how you developed your passion for debating, it is a very strong post which gives a taste of who you truly are.