Happiness as a burden

A large ceremonial tent planted in the middle of a dark, crowded street; it's a wedding, a love celebration, I couldn't help but wonder whether the people inside truly feel happy. It raises a deeper question: Is happiness something we show to others, or something we feel within ourselves?

Marriage is a happy day, a simple, sacred moment, a bond shared between two people and witnessed by family, friends, and neighbors. It used to be a communal blessing, not a competition. Weddings nowadays have slowly turned into showcases: who invites more people, who spends more money, who looks wealthier, who appears happier. The meaning has shifted from forming a partnership to displaying a performance.

And then there’s the tent itself, a massive structure blocking a narrow street, separating those inside from the rest of the neighborhood. It creates a temporary world where the couple and their guests are visually shielded from reality. Yet behind that elaborate fabric, many are stressed, anxious, or pressured to meet expectations that have nothing to do with love.

This tent, like many others passed down through generations from rural villages to modern cities, carries tradition but also the weight of social obligation. It symbolizes both celebration and escape, community and isolation. It raises a quiet question we rarely ask:

Is happiness something we show to others, or something we feel within ourselves?

Khalil Choukri

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