Not all laughter is mirth and a smile is not always because you are happy. I tried to think about people who have mental breakdown or a rude awakening may laugh boisterously but that doesn't mean they are happy. A person may laugh after he or she has inflicted revenge on someone but that doesn't mean he or she is happy. The direct relative of the deceased may give a warm smile to a person who has arrived to pay respects while shaking hands but the former is still having some emotional issues to cope up with. It reminded me of how I got a handshake from the deceased and gave me a short smile after I gave him my condolence. As said, a smile is not always because you are happy as sometimes you smile to show your respect to a person who has comforted you in times of grief.
Whenever I think of a misguided notion of happiness, the picture above always comes to my mind with an almost naked Failipino with his bad values and what's missing for the picture is an enlightened Pinoy to either laugh or facepalm. Many Filipinos try to laugh off their problem and as a result, they end up becoming Failipinos and the Philippines may end up becoming the Failippines. When I think of it, David Guerrero's stupid slogan is may have been used to ignore the present problems and miseries of the country. Because they don't want to make sacrifices for a greater good, they just want to have fiesta all the timewithout realizing that a feast is only satisfying if there were sacrifices being made.
Sad to say but Failipinos tend to hate the idea of making sacrifices such as saving money for a rainy day because for them overspending makes them happy. They just want to have fun without having to make sacrifices for greater fun. Worse, some of them prefer not to work and even rely on an OFW relative who might be suffering somewhere else while they waste all the money which is no wonder why many OFW families remain poor. Even some OFWs are pretty fine with raising relathieves and fiends to feel important. When I think of the finanacial studies done on OFWS, it showed that flight attendants and seamen had a very high overspending pattern. The mentality of just wanting to have fun is one of the reasons why so many Filipinos remain poor. The idea that fiestas and getting drunk helps you forget your problems actually adds up to the current problem. Like being broke and being drunk is a very heavy burden indeed.
The more I think about it, the Philippines is really not a nation of happy people in the long run. It just reminds me it's funny how some people of lower income end up having the nicer stuff before the people of higher income. Where did they get the money? It was most likely from a OFW relative (or host for the leeches), they borrow money from illicit sources or even drug dealing. For these idiots, they think that the stuff you own and not the money you have saved and earn makes one wealthy. It just reminds me how many of the "cool kids" I endured mockery from in the past end up broke as a joke later. It also shocked me to think how some lower income people already have a Playstation 4 while my much wealthier cousins don't have it. It shows that while there's nothing wrong with owning cool stuff considering I own some myself; just make sure you have enough savings for your necessities.
It also made me think but regardless of what the fad is, most people do not consider the consequences of their actions. I like bringing up the One Direction ticket incident. Now nothing is wrong with buying it if you really have tons of cash and you have paid your obligations or that after you buy the ticket, you still have tons of cash left. However when I look at how most Filipinos handle their money, they just spend left and right. My basic assumption is that some people who bought the tickets for the One Direction concert weren't considering the cost was too high or as I love to bring it up, the theory of utility. The cost for the ticket is already equivalent to the price of a Playstation 3 system or a higher technology laptop computer. I was wondering did the people even think that the price was too pricey for a concert? Some people even said that One Direction filled everything for them which I think any sensible One Direction fan would do a facedesk hearing that!
I am also reminded me how Failipinos tend to put their pleasures first over their priorities. It reminded me of my groupmate who chose to attend her friend's wedding in Boracay Island. I can understand she was close to the person but she had a practice to attend. She could have just sent a gift and her congratulations but no, she was obstinate enough to attend her friend's wedding because it was so important to her. After the wedding in Boracay, she came back still doing the Hawaiian dance, assuming I was jealous that she was there at the wedding while I had a practice to attend to. Wow, she really has stupid assumptions doesn't she? That kind of mentality has caused a huge national setback because of miseries and present problems ignored.
When I think of the attitude of happiness first then it can be connected to the stupid culture of anti-intellectualism. I have noticed how some people go beyond their childhood years and never change their bad habits. You can think of the problem of how they hate studying as children and they continue hating it when they enter high school and even College. While I'll admit I was always called to the principal's office for my bad grades and bad behavior but in College, I did my best to never get a back subject and finish on time. Now I may have not graduated as top of the university or anything but at least, I exerted diligent effort and dared to face demanding professors. My other schoolmates who never took their studies seriously ended up in a loser bin. Like one person I know kept losing her job from one place to another because she has an attitude that refuses to follow guidelines.
I am also reminded of the offensive sense of humor that Failipinos have. They take joy in the misery of others but how long will it last? Remember not everyone can take a bad joke professionally. It just reminded me of how I actually strangled someone for throwing toilet jokes on the table. It reminded me of how angry I get when my insult backfires at my face because I basically lost dominance over other people. For that Jay Bee person whoever he is, I hope he will get the karma that he deserves someday.
You may also think about the "Boy Who Cried Wolf" story. Remember that the shepherd boy who kept crying "Wolf! Wolf!" always had a good laugh when the people were panicking? In the end, the joke backfired at him. By the time the wolf appeared, the last laugh was on him. All his sheep was eaten by the wolf. In some versions, the wolf also ate the boy. When I keep thinking about how the story shows many more lessons than just lying is bad. It also shows how a prankster would eventually get backfired someday.
What many Filipinos need to learn is that life is not always a bed of flowers and that even roses have thorns. You need to make sacrifices to have a greater savor. Sad to say but the Philippines may just be a nation of deluded people who want to be happy all the time. But deep within, they are really a sad and miserable people because they crash back to reality with a rude awakening. They can go ahead and call me a Communist but the truth cannot be changed that they are a deluded people living in Lala-Land.
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