Unhappiness Is More Common Than Happiness
No one really talks about how common unhappiness is. People talk about success. They post laughter. They celebrate milestones. But unhappiness lives quietly, like background noise we’ve all learned to ignore. Every morning, Musa opened his shop before the sun fully rose. He greeted customers with a practiced smile, counted change carefully, and nodded when people asked, “How far?” He always answered, “We thank God.” It was the safest reply. The expected one. What he never said was that happiness came rarely — like rain in harmattan. Short, unexpected, and gone before he could stretch his hands to catch it. Most days were just survival. Not terrible enough to scream, not good enough to celebrate. Just days stacked on top of each other, heavy and identical. He wasn’t depressed, he told himself. Just tired. Just waiting. Just hoping something would eventually make sense. At night, he scrolled through his phone and saw people smiling into better lives. New jobs. New love. New beginnings. H...