The question: who is the happiest person you know? For the purposes of this project, I asked around (OK fine, I made a poll on facebook) and the response was almost unanimously Larry Knight. I don't know Larry Knight. I hit google, and google knows neither. Ctrl+T, http://facebook.com, enter, Search..., click, type, L, dropdown Laura Haynes, Leo Mates, Lydia Fowler, Emma Loveday, type La...dropdown Lawrence Knight, click. 89 mutual friends. I only have 92. He's friends with my parents?! +1Add Friend? Click.
Lives in Los Angeles, California
Knows English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Arabic
Has worked at Hollister Co.
From Brussels, Belgium
Notification: Lawrence Knight has accepted your friend request.
Score.
chat bleeps.
Larry: You're the new kid, right?
Me: Well, not really, but for the purposes of this conversation, sure.
Larry: cool.
Me: Can I ask you a few questions? It's for a...sociology project or something.
Larry: Shoot.
Me: OK. Are you happy?
Larry: Yes. Why?
Me: What would you say is the leading factor in causing this happiness?
Larry: Gee, I don't know.
Me: Your family?
Larry: Sure, that's part of it, I mean my parents love me and my sister, we live comfortably well...
I guess my parents are getting divorced and that kind of sucks, but their marriage has been on the rocks for ages so it's kind of better this way and you know that's just the way the cookie crumbles, or whatever. and they're entering into a custody battle in which I apparently get no real say...but whatever I'll be out of here next year anyway
Me:so...you're happy with your family?
Larry: well. not with all of it, but ostensibly, yes.
Me: OK...what about your friends?
Larry: Oh, my friends are awesome. Love them.
Me: Who's your best friend?
Larry: Oh well I couldn't say, you know. People would get jealous...haha just kidding, uh...I don't really have a 'best friend' I guess...not since, like, kindergarten or whatever. I mean I just have a whole group of people...actually we don't really hang out as individuals. Actually there wouldn't be much to talk about if we did...we have more fun like, doing things...
they're kind of superficial really. but they're honest, at least. Or, they're loyal, anyway.
Me: but you're happy
Larry: Well, I guess maybe I could do with finding someone who I can actually talk to, haha, I've never really thought about that. But yes, I'm happy.
Me:...and what about girls?
Larry: well, like? uh...I don't know.
Me: From what I can glean there's a lot of interest
Larry: yeah, but like...I'm not really interested
Me: Why's that?
Larry: I'm just not. What do girls have to do with happiness anyway? Shit, next question.
Me:well, you know...we're programmed to want them...for mating rituals or family or something
Larry: next question
Me: do you like your appearance?
Larry: yes, of course. Not that I think about that. I just...don't not like my appearance and yeah uh, like you said...uh nevermind, yes. yes I'm happy with how I look.
Me: there's nothing you would change?
Larry: Well of course there is, but, everyone would change something if given the chance
Me:...not someone who was happy with their appearance
Larry: Well, like, I'm not entirely happy then, but like I said, I'm not not happy.
Me: OK.
Larry: I'm just a normal guy.
Me: I did a survey and apparently you're the happiest guy people know.
Larry: oh, cool.
Me: are you happy?
Larry: Well, sure. I mean, not about the things you've asked but like...there's more to happiness than that
Me: So...what is happiness then?
Larry: I mean...yeah well maybe there's not. But there's more to life than just being happy. Like, I wouldn't choose to have a lobotomy that would remove all my dissatisfaction with my lot and leave me in happiness
Me:ignorance is bliss?
Larry: yeah, but like I said, I wouldn't choose this brave new world shit because there's more than that...you need the downs to have the ups, you know? I mean I wouldn't be happy at all unless I knew sadness
Me: so,
Larry: you know that void that swallows you up just because you ask probing questions that the universe doesn't have an answer to?
Me: kind of
Larry: yeah that's where I live, I guess. Like, everyone else sees me as what they think is happy, I guess: I have good grades, my parents love me, I'm rich, sports star, whatever...but my head's just in agony sometimes...whoever wants to be happy as Larry's gotta give up a few things, first.
Me:...happy as Larry. I like that.
Lawrence Knight is offline. Send him a message?
No comments:
Post a Comment