Alexxandra Schuman High School Student
As a child, I was generally happy; singing and dancing to my favorite songs; smiling and laughing with my
friends and family. But as far back as second grade, I noticed a "darkness," about me. I didn't enjoy
engaging in many things. I didn't relate to my peers in elementary school because they appeared so happy,
and I didn't have that ability to achieve happiness so easily.
In middle school things in my life began to get even worse. I began withdrawing from everything I once
enjoyed; swimming, tennis, family. I hated going to sleep knowing I had to wake up to another day. I was
always tired. Everything was horrible. Finally, midway through eighth grade, I was told I had a chemical
imbalance; diagnosed with clinical depression and put on medication. It took months for me to feel the
effects of the medication.
When I began to feel happy again, is when I realized that I had to take the responsibility for getting better
myself, rather than relying on medication and therapy alone. Aristotle said, "To live happily is an inward
power of the soul," and I believe that this quote describes what I had to do to achieve happiness. Happiness
is a journey. Everyone seems to need different things to be happy. But I believe people are blinded from
what truly makes one happy.
Growing up, we're encouraged to be successful in life; but how is success defined? Success and happiness
are imagined now as having a lot of money. It is so untrue. Recently I went to Costa Rica and visited the
small town of El Roble. I spent the day with a nine-year old girl named Marilyn. She took me to her house to
meet her parents. It was obvious that they were not rich; living in a small house with seven children. The
house was cluttered but full of life. Those who have decided that success and happiness comes from having
money and a big house would be appalled at how utterly happy this family from El Roble is. People say that
seeing things like that make you appreciate what you have, but for me, it made me envy them for being so
happy without all the things I have.
"The essentials to happiness are something to love, something to do, and something to hope for," a quote
from William Blake sums up what I believe people need to realize to be truly happy in life. People need love;
I feel they need their family and their friends more than anything in the world. People need work to do,
something to make them feel they are making a difference in the world. People need to know that more
good is to come in the future, so they continue to live for "now" instead of constantly worrying about the
bad that could come. And most importantly people need to know that happiness is not something that
happens overnight. Love and hope is happiness.
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