KOUFUKURON (Eudaemonics)

KOUFUKURON - Eudaemonics    A Theory of Happiness I experienced a "midlife crisis" when I turned 45. This is also known as the "midlife crisis."  I felt a gap between my ideals and limitations in my job role. At home, my children were growing up, and my relationship with my spouse was changing. I began to notice generational shifts in society and became aware of the finite nature of my own life, which fueled a sense of urgency to transform my life. My previous identity was no longer sustainable. In my case, this led to depression, a leave of absence from work, divorce, and resignation. The desire to reset my life became uncontrollable, driving me to make significant decisions, but the challenge was how to break free from the unproductive thoughts looping in my mind and rebuild my life. In 2020, I opened a small photo studio and, on days without bookings, walked around the quiet town during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking pictures. Immersing myself in something was beneficial. "Idle time" easily gets dominated by negative thoughts. Many of the photos I took at that time were of things that appeared withered or abandoned. A friend suggested, "Why don't you take pictures of more cheerful things?" However, I couldn't find anything cheerful at that time, and the things that resonated with my mind were all of that nature. As time passed, I began to wonder why I kept taking such photos. I realized that I was projecting my own feelings of loneliness, alienation, and the hardships of life onto these subjects. Even when I photographed people looking happy, I observed them from a distance. There are as many worlds as there are people, but I wondered what accounts for the differences in how we feel and perceive the same place and time. My eyes—or rather, my heart—were only attuned to very narrow frequencies of the messages emitted by objects and phenomena. My vision and thinking were constricted. I decided to broaden them. There must be frequencies akin to those felt by happy people. What I thought I could do, even in my current state, was to step back and observe closely. I needed to hold the intention that "there must be another perspective." So, I started to align my shots horizontally and vertically, as if taking architectural photographs and facing my subjects this way. You might think, "So what?" But having this intention reduced the turmoil in my mind when faced with gloomy thoughts. Over time, I began to feel the changing seasons. As the COVID-19 pandemic was ending, I saw families chatting under the cherry blossoms. While taking pictures of that scene, I thought, "Maybe this is what it's all about."