Obstacles to Zest
It is undeniably clear that zest is a significant key to happiness. Ask yourself, why people don’t display zest more often.
A zestful man might spontaneously laugh in the streets; even chase dogs in park just for fun. He might skip around the hallways of his workplace.
The foremost obstacle to zest is respectability. I can only imagine the restraints to zest that were present during the Victorian age. In a way, current society exacts the same requirement for respectability from both men and women.
The need for respectability is especially apparent in political and religious contexts. Thus, it follows by reason that one’s happiness can be especially challenged in these areas.
Other obstacles to zest are restraints on liberty.
Crying on the street corner might get one noticed by police who wish to keep pedestrian traffic flow unfettered. Spontaneous juggling by a passenger on-board an airplane would attract the negative attention of a flight attendant.
If obstacles to zest are too strong, then a person’s attitude might be reduced to inactivity and boredom. A person might begin to show little interest in anything. General apathy towards friends and coworkers might result. There might be a shutting down of emotion and a reduced desire for physical activity.
Preserve and foster zest in your life. When was the last time you saw zestful action in yourself or others, wasn’t it enchanting? For both men and women, zest is one of the utmost pleasures in life.
