Cheers to Life!

The 'good' is only appreciated in contrast with the 'bad.'
The value of joy can only be measured against pain.
For without these contrasts in life, neither would there be a dawn, nor dusk.
Neither would there be a reason to wake with an aim, nor a moment of introspection before sleep.
Life would be reduced to a stagnant reality, aimless and devoid of growth.

Pain is mandatory for growth, the wise have said. We have been taught into believing that success cannot be tasted by those who haven't been thrown to the dogs in the past. They say life is a mortar and pestle and only those who can take the grind, survive.

I agree, but only partially. We have been a generation of humans obsessed with glorifying pain. Every little hurdle is a reason to groan for, every road-block a reason to slump, every failure a reason to cry.
We're giving up every single second. We make a waste of each breath we take, and rightfully deserve. So occupied we have been with miseries, that the very abstract of happiness has become obsolete. The line of contrast has been smudged beyond recognition and only a grey muck remains.

I hit a phase just like the one described above, only recently.
Situations went off-handle, and I found my maturity levels inadequate of controlling events. After all, we learn from what we experience, we don't carry it from the womb.
Life is a rabid bitch, we've all learnt. I experienced its manifestations first-hand. A twist in the tale, a turn of the tables, a shuffle of the cards...I can give it so many titles! Maybe even the Dementor's Kiss? (to satiate the Harry Potter freak in me!)
So what did I learn out of this particular experience? Like the biological rabies, the bite from this bitch comes with its anecdote as well. That like Dementors from fiction, these demons too can be warded off by a Patronus.

Now, what was the first requisite to cast a successful Patronus?
JOY. HAPPINESS.

As bizarre as it may sound, nothing dries tears faster than a smile.
But how does one exactly conjure a false sense of delight in a seemingly hopeless situation?
I fought it out. With each new morning, I set out to snatch whatever shred of happiness I could find. I struggled against choking tears to plaster a smile across my lips and courage over my face. Wore my favourite colours, smiled at random people, helped out a friend in need, tried every manoeuvre that could keep me occupied on a mental level. When I thought I was going to falter, I told myself that I don't deserve the pain. I gave myself the responsibility of keeping me happy. I made happiness my top priority.

The result amazed me. The tiny tiny bits I was collecting culminated into a beautiful silver Patronus. That smile struggling through tears? It was finally free. Uninhibited. It was somewhere around this time I understood the significance of these very popular lines:

"Dil jo tera baat baat pe ghabraaye, dil pe rakh ke haath use toh phusla le.

 Dil idiot hai pyaar se usko samjhaale"

Theoretically, it may sound bizarre. Practically, it is a major challenge. But the result it will yield, is worth every bit. The point of the matter is, you deserve cheer in the same way you deserve the oxygen you breathe.  Not a force in the world can snatch it away from you. Never, ever, give up the pursuit of happiness.

And if life is a bitch, shrug, and say Bitch Please!