The Hyggelig Journey

Any sensitive soul will feel discomfort when witnessing their plans and efforts retreat in the face of secondary factors beyond their control. How often does frustration arrive mercilessly, marking that moment with the weight of failure? The truth is, we are emotionally sentient beings who think. We recall our experiences more through our feelings than through objective facts. This is the human element of subjectivity. Despite being a natural occurrence, this same element gives contrast and meaning as life unfolds. And, since emotions have no expiry date, it is the moments we carry with us. It is an important baggage that defines experience. However, a word of caution is necessary here — it is extremely common to attempt to “outsource” pain. In an effort to cope with negative emotions, one may block any meaning associated with them. Unfortunately, it is convenient to remain captive to a narrative of passivity, as if saying, “That person only gets in my way,” “No one underst...

It is somewhat harder to quiet the mind when agitation is driven by an element of frustration. This is because frustration, much like anger and envy, is an emotion that triggers transformation. When we find ourselves frustrated, we often say we are experiencing a negative emotion. More often than not, we absorb it like a sponge, and only with great effort do we manage to detach ourselves from what we feel. But frustration is often misunderstood. It is only a negative emotion if one remains inactive in its presence. However, if one does the opposite—learning to filter out the most visceral aspect of the emotion—what remains is the drive for improvement. Courage, in truth, is born more from frustration than from joy or ecstasy. The movement for universal suffrage, for instance, began with the frustration of women, outraged at being denied the right to vote by the society of the time. Had they lacked the courage to transform their reality, they would certainly never have gained that natur...