There is a respected senior pastor named Young-Gi Choi. I would like to share a short piece of writing by him below.

“I Cannot Help but Be Happy.”  My only hobby is watching movies. I prefer serious films that make me reflect on life rather than action movies. As I watch such films, I often find myself wondering whether we take the happiness we enjoy far too much for granted.

In movies that deal with alcohol or drug addiction, the protagonist struggles desperately to break free from that bondage. The single goal of life is to escape addiction. Yet most of us live without suffering from such addictions. And still, we are not happy.

In courtroom dramas, a falsely accused protagonist devotes his entire life to proving the truth. He is devastated when a key witness disappears, tormented by a lawyer’s betrayal, and driven to despair by an unjust verdict. Clearing his name becomes the sole purpose of his life. But most of us are not suffering under false accusations. And still, we are not happy.

In war movies, people live in constant fear—wondering how they will find their next meal, when bombs might fall, or when soldiers might break down their doors. Their simple wish is to stretch out their legs and sleep in peace, or to sit around a table with their family and share a meal together. Yet we already live in the very conditions they dream of. And still, we are not happy.

In films about disability, the protagonist’s goal is to overcome physical limitations—to see, to hear, to speak, to walk. Yet most of us live without serious physical disabilities. And still, we are not happy.

In movies about battling cancer, characters collapse under the shock of diagnosis, despair when treatments fail, and live in fear of recurrence even after treatment ends. What they long for most is simply a normal body free from cancer. But most of us have such healthy bodies. And still, we are not happy.

There are countless people in this world who would say that if they had what we currently enjoy, they would have nothing more to ask for. Yet even in abundance, we fail to give thanks. At the slightest inconvenience, we become disappointed, complain, and fall into despair.

Does this not sound like our own story? Yet I am thankful—not for the hair that has disappeared due to hair loss, but for what still remains. And because of that, choosing happiness is not difficult at all. That, indeed, is something to be deeply grateful for.