"Do what makes you successful."
"Go to college to get a job."
"Read this to be well cultured."
"Wear these clothes."
"Eat this food."
"Vote for this person."
Culture has made us a generation of rule followers. Those who push buttons or contradict authority are wrong for society. Greed has overrun us. All we want are the big cars and the fancy houses but so many lose their life along the way. We all get so concerned with success that we forget what we actually loved in the first place. When we look back over our lives we won't remember the days we made the most money. We will remember the days that we laughed the hardest and made us the happiest. Instead of going down the set track that seems to be the only thing of importance today, do what makes you happy.
Catherine married for money, for status, for security. But she knew the man that made her heart glad wasn't Edgar, it was Heathcliff. After all the time she had spent obsessing over image and appearance as a sophisticated lady, it took one look into Heathcliff's eyes to remind her of her happiness. The kind of happiness that doesn't come from materials but, rather, from the soul.
Don't be like Catherine. Follow the heart and do what gives you joy because no one ever regrets happiness.
I liked your phrase, "no one ever regrets happiness". I think that you are right in the sense that many people base their actions and decisions only off what society tells them to do. Living in this way might make you successful, but will not give you happiness.
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