The first time I contemplated the meaning of true happiness was back in 2001, when I really wasn’t that happy at all. I was a twenty-something wannabe writer, who was stuck selling high-end clothing and accessories to rich Upper East Siders; while receiving rejection letters in the mail and wondering when I will be able to finally show off my skills in a less restrictive way.
The era of being able to showcase your #dopeness courtesy of your writing prowess arrived more than a decade ago, but I’m still not happy.
Perhaps, that’s why when the lovesick Julie Gianni flirtatiously asked woman-magnet and publishing heir David Aames, “What is happiness to you David?” while driving the car that she ended up crashing, my attention was arrested by the realization that just like David, I wasn’t able to confidently answer what seemed like a purely simple question.
Vanilla Sky was a mind-fuck of a movie, and even after so many years later, there’s really nothing outdated about the concept of struggling between the realm of reality that usually challenges our ability to be consistently happy, and the alternative universe that is created through tunnels of curated engagement, based on elements that aren’t tangible.
Imagine the devastating loss for engagers who dwell on platforms all day into the night, in the bosom of increasing…
