I used to believe that everything experienced by everyone in the world was somehow equivalent, was somehow shared, and that no one person could ever feel happier in their life than another, and that when I felt a quantifiable amount of sadness or loneliness, that everybody in the world would somehow experience that same amount of sadness or loneliness, but in a different form and at a different time. When I saw kids playing sports, having intimate friendships with people, and feeling things that weren’t in my Catalog of Positive Emotions I’ve Experienced, I would feel comforted by my belief that they were somehow quickly depleting a predetermined amount of happiness, edging closer to an eventual “running out” that would result in living the rest of their lives dealing with their unused, negative emotions. I took comfort in believing that I was only capable of being sad and socially-inept for so long.

KARIM KAZEMI