"Smile!"

This is usually said by someone who has no idea what's going on in your life. You may have just had your heart broken, been read the riot act by your boss, have a splitting headache, or maybe you are just trying to remember if you turned off the iron before you left the house.

I've always been a bit annoyed by this command. As if a less than happy look on one's face is something to be fixed or corrected. It does sum up how I think our culture views unhappiness; as if it's a problem needing to be solved, rather than just a part of the whole picture.

Think about it. Most times, when we talk about why we aren't happy, others try to convince us we should be. Often, they compare other's situations against our own, showing, they think, how much better our life is than we know.

An example: My sister and I were discussing my father several years ago. I was expressing how sad I was that he didn't seem interested in my life, and my disappointment that he didn't appear proud of me.
Amy said, "You know, other people have had it a lot worse. We weren't beaten, we had a roof over our heads, food to eat."

Okay, that's true. The point is, I'm not another person. I'm me. I know there are terrible, horrible things out there, I acknowledge those terrible horrible things, but I still have to live my life. Someone has always got things harder, someone has always got things easier. It seems as if we aren't allowed though, to feel badly about our situation without also feeling guilty that we feel badly, because someone out there has "real" problems, more important problems, or more severe problems.

What is it that makes us so uncomfortable when someone else is down or depressed? Why are we considered weak if we "let things get to us?" Why are we supposed to smile all the time?