From Episode 12.

Happiness
by Na Tae Joo

It’s not about where we were yesterday
And it’s not about where we’ll be tomorrow.

It’s just about where we are today.
And you.

Of all poems about love and happiness, I wouldn’t have chosen this one. On the surface, it reads like a romantic poem, but if you read it in context, you’ll see that it’s actually foreboding.

This poem says to live in the present. Who cares about the past and the future? “It’s not about where we were yesterday and it’s not about where we’ll be tomorrow.” All that matters is that she is there with him (and vice versa) right now.

But the poem forgets: the present time is short and fleeting.

This is how I would interpret the poem: Let’s not worry about the past nor the future. Let’s focus on the present moment because our time spent together will soon come to pass.  

Philosophically, I think this “live for today” idea is the wrong approach to happiness. But I think I know where it comes from. In today’s culture, I often hear young kids say, “YOLO” or “You Only Live Once” which is derived from that popularized Latin maxim, “Carpe diem” or “Seize the day.”

But they don’t understand what they’re saying….

The original Latin text source is “Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero,” and it’s translated as “Seize the day, trust as little as possible in the future.”

The meaning of this passage is actually the exact opposite of what the poem “Happiness” is advocating. The Latin text means: do NOT put things off for tomorrow because you do NOT know what will happen tomorrow. Things may not pan out as you expect it to be in the future, so prepare for tomorrow today. Do everything today to get ready for tomorrow.

Now, do you see what I meant when I said this poem wouldn’t be MY choice of poem to describe the happiness of BoYoung and Dr. Ye? They should worry about tomorrow. Their happiness today may be gone tomorrow. It may be short-lived after all.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. 

pwahahaha.