The Redefinition of an Undefinable Word

Happiness, yes, my entire class probably detests the word now thanks to its fervent over usage in discussions, writings and homework as of late. The word itself so seemingly bland and overdone yet so inherently inexplicable. Not a single person could paste a concrete and universal definition to those three syllables. However, I find solace in Albert Camus' take on the elusive noun: "You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life". Although Camus may seem a hopeless pessimist based upon this quote, I can not help but find this cynical outlook on happiness...eye-opening. Oddly enough, it makes perfect sense: if one plagues themselves with searching for happiness, how could they know when they finally obtain it? Unfortunately, I have absolutely no possible answer to that question, at all. And more importantly, why should I? The way I see it, nobody should possess the ability to answer such a conundrum. To give happiness a criteria parallels the absurdity of giving fun a strict set of rules. Thus, happiness itself must remain untethered. However, people do not seem to like such ambiguity when it comes to emotions, as far as society concerns themselves they either come in black or white. And, therein lays the problem, in order for society to feel comforted they must have the ability to categorize themselves as happy. For some it could come with a new car, for others something as simple as going for a walk around the block on a warm night. Yet, both extremes seem to always long for what the other has that makes them happy. The wealthy man, sitting in their new Porsche may see the walker with his kids strolling the block, on that warm summer night, smile on his face, and then long for that, just wanting to lay low and take a walk with his own family. On the contrary, those who find joy in a warm breezy night walking, hand in hands with their kids may long for the delicacies of life, maybe that Porsche that just drove by. Evidently, happiness comes differently for each and every one of us, and we must relish in what we know we have that brings a smile to our faces, not longing for what brings a grin to the faces of others. As Mr. Camus might agree, one must cherish their own treasures in life as opposed to wishing to experience the bounty of others, not in a selfish way but in revolutionary way, rewrite what happiness means to society, and tailor it around what it means to you.

An Examination of the Specimen Known as: "The New Kid'

The new kid, we all can picture him: quiet, shooting quick grins at his new peers who still appear so foreign. You know, the kid aspiring to find his place, working diligently to play it cool,  fit in, yet always managing to make an utter fool of himself. Ah yes, the wonders of the ever elusive new student, an interesting specimen, one that I have a special familiarity with, after all, I walked through the front doors of Chagrin Falls middle school as one myself not too long ago. Switching schools does not come with ease, as I discovered quite rapidly. Packing up my belongings, trading familiarization for uncharted territories. Free falling took on a whole new meaning when I dove into the abyss and  left behind my closest comrades while embarking on a new and furtive chapter in my life to the "bubble" of Chagrin Falls. My journey only entailed a 20 minute drive from Shaker Heights, but to me, I might as well have crossed an ocean. Yes, I will admit it, I whined, complained and wanted to return to my roots on Van Aken Boulevard, however my displacement in no way trumps that of the amiable Joseph in Roddy Doyle's 2008 short story New Boy. Whilst we did in fact share the same label of a "new boy" at one point in our lives that seems to act as the only similarity myself and the African Refugee share. However, when reading about Joseph's predicament's on his first day of school I found myself humbled by the way he handles his predicaments. While I did not exactly come to face death threats from obnoxious bullies on my first day of school down at the "prestigious" Chagrin Falls Middle School I did manage to stumble with pronouncing my last name for some profound reason, nerves I suppose. Although a menial mistake, I let it wrench at my inner consciousnesses  For the next four days I convinced myself everyone thought I rivaled that of a dunce, an overreaction of course but what could a thirteen year old do to tell himself otherwise? I still look back upon that first week and think that there existed no better way to have handed that situation, even though I handled it poorly, until the humble and naive Joseph proved me otherwise. When confronted with a situation, exponentially more dire than my own, a simple "you're dead" from the class bully Christian Kelly, young Joseph simply brushes it off thinking "all men must grow and...die" (82). A profoundly simple thought, all men must grow up, and all of us will eventually die, although his naivety obviously plays a role in his oddly unconcerned reaction he did in fact teach me a valuable lesson. While I fretted over a matter so simple , yet so ludicrously complicated thanks to my worry over what others think, Joseph simply takes matters where they stand, not over analyzing, just an innocent interpretation of an empty threat. I now realize, although five years too late, that through the same innocence and simplification, nobody even knew the right way to pronounce my name, and more importantly, nobody cared. Thus, Joseph left me with a clear understanding that sometimes a tinge of naivety fused with a little simplicity, can make the first day of school's problems, and life in general a little more bearable for us new kids.