I’m about to ask you a question. This question might sound familiar as we have all probably asked ourselves this same question at one point in our lives.

What is the purpose of life?

Mind you, the purpose of this essay isn’t to give all who read this an existential crisis but rather to give everyone who reads this something to think about as they walk to school, drive to work or just sit alone in their bedroom wondering and pondering about the mysteries of life.

Immediately after I ask you this question one of the first things that pops into your head – at least I hope it’s one of the first things – is that the purpose of life is to be happy. If this was one of things that popped into your head, congratulations! You and I are on the same page here. If this wasn’t one of the first things that popped into your head, that’s okay. I hope that this short essay will be able to help you understand that happiness belongs on your top 5 list of “Purposes of Life”.

Happiness. We’ve all experienced this feeling at one point in our lives, but you might be asking yourselves why this emotion is so much more important than the other emotions. Why is it a goal that many people set for themselves? Well, the answer is simple. Happiness is the most positive emotion and, with all the tragic, depressing news, events and experiences that happen in our everyday lives, it can be nice to hear some good news at some point in our day or be able to do something every day that makes us happy.

While we’re on the topic, let me ask you this: what makes you happy? Take a minute to compile a list of things. Even three or four little things about your day that brings you an inexplicable amount of joy counts. Whether it’s riding your bike to school with your friends, walking by your neighbor’s lovely garden on the way to work or just getting a like on one of your pictures on Instagram from your high school crush, all of these things are liable to make someone out there happy. Now if these don’t make you happy, I hope other little things in your day do. Because, sometimes we all need a little reminder of what brings out the joy in ourselves. It can help us reflect on what we value most in our lives as well as shine a spot of light on a dark, dark day that we might be having.

Now, keeping this all in mind, there are many things out there that make people happy. That isn’t a bad thing…right? Right, it shouldn’t be a bad thing. However, there are some things out there that make people happy and are innocent and harmless enough not to draw attention but still manage to not only bring joy to a certain person’s day but also bring with it prejudice, hate, discrimination and even sometimes violence. If you don’t get what I mean, here’s an example. A queer person. Someone who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community. They are trying to have a normal day when someone comes up to them and spits on them just because of their gender or sexuality. These things are not only out of their control and make them who they are, but also are a part of what is supposed to make them happy. However this part of them no longer brings them the joy it should bring because this euphoria is overshadowed by a looming mass of darkness filled with hate and prejudice. Instead, these people feel like something is wrong with them, like they are an outcast or a loser just because of who they like or what they identify as. And this not only happens to people who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. It happens to people of all different cultures, ethnicities, religions, lifestyles and more. Everything about these people that help them stand out, be different and see the world differently are now being hated on because of this. What is supposed to make them happy no longer does because of how other people treat them.

It’s a sad thing that needs to be stopped.

To conclude, there are many things that make someone happy. It could be a small thing about their day that gives them a spark of joy that keeps them moving or it could be a larger part of them that makes them proud and happy to be who they are….until they are hated on for this very reason. If the purpose of life really is to be happy and do what makes you happy then what’s the point of putting down people because of what makes them happy? We should be focusing on what makes us happy instead of focusing on hating another person because of what makes them happy. We should all just live our lives and let other people live their lives the the way they see fit.

Let other people do what makes them happy.

Just live and let live.