Well just got my thinking assignment marked by Madam Tham and felt my heart gleam with happiness when she drew the stars. This may be noted as 'lame' but it made me realise that simplicity brings pure happiness.
Teachers draw stars on students' work when we are young, mostly in primary schools. It made students really happy then. These primary school students would then perhaps go to their friends and share the joy. Childish it may be but there is something to note, the innocence and simplicity.
Innocence is something that causes us to feel happy. When people are young, the world they know comprises only of the things around them. Parents protect their children as much as possible because they are too young to be independent. Thus, they live in a world that is more or less perfect, which causes them to only see one side of life. Their thoughts are only skin deep and small little praises make them happy. Teachers drawing stars on their assignments make them elated all the time.
However, innocence wears off with time. As humans grow older, they start to see the complexity of life. Life now is not that simple and parents do not protect us that much. We are left on our own to face the world, and find ways to survive. This erodes the childish thoughts in our minds and we mature. Stars on assignments no longer seem to make one happy. Instead, we humans complain that we have so much work and that the world is too complex. All these complains make us grumpy and increases the difficulty for us to obtain happiness. Perhaps we should find back that innocence.
Simplicity such as stars on assignments, gives one everlasting joy. This means that we have done well and the stars are recognitions of our hard work. However, humans now rely on materialism for happiness. The latest gadgets, the highest fashion are what we want the most. Yes they may bring happiness. But the brutal fact is that they only bring short term happiness. A new gadget bought may make one happy at the time of purchase. However, due to the rapid development of technology, a new product surfaces soon after and we lose interest in the gadget that we bought and pursue the newly released product. This is a vicious cycle.
Back in the days when technology was still in its developing stage, people find joy from simple things in life. Such things include marbles, five-stones and tops. With all these items, people in the past could have a whale of time. But those items would only bring happiness for a few minutes now. Simplicity brings happiness at its purest state and that is what makes it everlasting. Also, happiness obtained from hard work as well. Getting a good score for tests makes everyone happy. Though this may take up a lot of mental strength and stamina (especially when tests are after one another) but the results are sweet. We should learn from the people in the past and find happiness in simple things as they bring happiness that is pure like no other.
