It's easier to help schizophrenics who perceive that there's something foreign inside of them that

needs to be exorcised, but it's difficult with depressives, because we believe we are seeing the
truth. Andrew Solomon
Philosophy may be a heavily-researched field of study, but all of us will (guiltily) accept that we do
make our own philosophies from time to time. The different models of the world that we conceive
may not be backed by concrete evidence, however convincing they may sound, but thats okay,
as long as they work for us.
But the danger in believing in our unproven hunches on life, is that we have the capability to
make the world seem like heaven at times, and like hell at other times. And a person struggling in
life will inevitably postulate theories that suggest the latter. And he, quite naturally, believes that
he is right.
Lets have a look at the diary of a frustrated college student X:
Ive a GPA of 8, neither high enough to become one of those accomplished academics, nor low
enough to quit education and become a drug dealer. But then again, thats been the story of my
life neither here nor there.
This, on the surface, is relatable. X laments about how he has become completely average,
unable to discover his USP, or even his identity.
Now, assume that X sits back and takes a deep breath, trying to assess his situation.
He writes another entry Okay, firstly, completely average sounds like a crazy oxymoron. Now,
I want a USP, eh? What do I want to be recognized for? My work in my field of study? But 20
years down the line, will I really want to be defined by my work? That is going to happen if I
become an academic or a drug dealer. Theres nothing wrong in that, it just seems too artificial.
Maybe Im fortunate to be the average guy, one whos largely going to be remembered for his
character, and a bit for his work. And isnt that, what humans are all about?
X has thus found a fallacy in his earlier assessment of his condition. He has looked at the phrase
neither here nor there in greater depth and discovered that its not as bad as it sounds.
On a personal note, Ive been through cycles like this from time to time, and these experiences
have tempted me to come up with an experimental formula for mood enhancement: Happiness
by means of disproof (HBMOD).
The human mind loves unearthing answers to problems. Exploiting this fact, the basic idea of
HBMOD is as follows:
1. List some of the most negative dialogues you have ever found. These could be from
movies, Facebook posts, or from a midnight conversation you had with your friend.
2. Try to refute the claims made by these dialogues. Start with weak arguments, and then
make them stronger.
3. Write down replies to these dialogues based on your arguments in (2).

Here are a couple of tougher exercise problems, handpicked from peoples most bitter moments.
Try solving them! Trust me, there do exist fallacies.

1. You know how everyone gushes over Rahul Dravids gentlemanliness on

the field and all that? Well, its the most misplaced compliment Ive ever
heard. Dravid can afford not to respond to provocation because theres a
referee constantly watching over him. But in real life, we need to fight our
own silly battles entirely by ourselves.
2. Ive always felt that the line Enjoy the little things in life is the
hollowest bit of free advice. Tell me, is there a societal framework in which
people are rewarded for being nice, rather than being labelled
pushovers? A college which gives a degree for talking politely? A system
which protects a rich kid from being alienated by his poorer friends? No,
thats called being petty. Its as if all of us are expected to be socially
adept the moment we come out of our mothers wombs. Granted, its
these little things which go a long way in shaping our characters, but until
theres a mechanism to help enjoy them, theyre only going to give us
grey hairs.

Anything can look good if you look at it the right way. This method gives you the courage to
shatter the principles youve built your life upon, and see the world in as optimistic a way as
possible.
Do let us know how youve fared in the exercise!