Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is not guaranteed!

What if I told you that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is not guaranteed? Would I be lying? Would my mouth have to be washed out with soap as some mothers did in the past when their children lied? I guess it would all depend on who I ask, when I ask them, and who they are around. Someone that has been living a pretty prosperous life (Mentally, physically, and/or financially) might say that life is sweet and they are guaranteed, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Now, when you think of someone who has been living a less fortunate life (Victimized, wrongly accused, and/or fails to change his or her current intolerable situation), he or she may say that life has been unkind.

Life is not guaranteed. These are not things that we have certain rights to because of who we are or what we can do. Take for example the Smith Family. The family consists of: Jada, Will, Jaden, and Willow Smith. Do you think that Willow Smith is guaranteed a successful career because of her parents? Absolutely not. Willow may have a better chance at being successful because of her pants, but she still has to put forth great effort and dedication in being prosperous. The thing is, because of who her parents are, she may have a certain standard that she will have to live up.

Do you think we are guaranteed freedom? Your interpretation of that question would probably depend on what type of freedom I am talking about. If I am talking about the type of freedom where we can make our own life choices, then most of us can answer confidently yes. However, if I am talking about the type of freedom where we do not have to abide by the rules and regulations set forth by our branches of government, then that would be a definite no. Take the country Egypt for example. About one year ago, Cairo was fighting for its freedom from its dictator Mubarak. It was clear that popular Sovereignty was a fan favorite among the people, but not a fan favorite among the dictators. This is a prime example of freedom not being guaranteed.   

Does everyone reading this article have the right to be happy? The honest truth is that we have a right to be whatever we want to be, whether this means happy, sad, or filled with life. We are in control of our own emotions, so if we decide to be mad at a situation that occurs, we have that right. Happiness only comes after we have decided that we are not going to allow life’s situations to get us down anymore. I remember several years ago, I was at my lowest point in life. My doctor told me that I may have cancer, my finances were in ruin, and I had lost my social flare. On many occasions, I prayed to God for guidance and deliverance. I asked to be guided to a better life. I also promised that if I made it out of my predicament, I would change my life for the better. A few weeks later, tests showed I did not have cancer, I started working a second job, and I started to get my social flare back. I learned a very valuable lesson during that time. I learned that I was in control of my emotions and how I felt at particular times. I also learned that life is too short to be mad or upset at everything. As of today, I am still working on controlling certain emotions and refraining from letting my emotions have dominion over me. Completing this task wholly takes time, and the person has to commit a lot of restraint over what was, what is, and what will be.

~Create your own life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Do you deserve more than an emotional tundra?