La dolce vita is an Italian phrase that in translation means “the sweet life.” What exactly constitutes a “sweet” life? Is a sweet life a life led without hardships and excess amounts of wealth and fame? Is a sweet life, a life led with little material things but with the security of being happy with your situation? Is a sweet life, syrupy sweet as molasses or sugary as the sweetest confectionaries? In 1960, Italian director Federico Fellini also tried to answer the difficult allure of the sweet life through his film La Dolce Vita. The sweet life is defined differently to different people. Many people wish for riches and fame, however, wishing for fame is becoming more challenging nowadays because of the severe price celebrities pay for fame, i.e. Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. A sweet life for other people may be wishing they could expose their homosexuality to their disapproving family or a homeless person wishing they had a home, food, and clean clothes.
Even animals can attest to the perks of living the sweet life and three dogs in Maryland are living proof. Buckshot, Katie, and Obu-Jet suffered the loss of their owner, Ken Kemper last year and inherited a house and $400,000. What will happen when these three pampered animals reach doggy heaven? According to foxnews.com, “The executor of Kemper’s estate, longtime friend Karin Anderson, said that when the dogs die, she will probably donate the remainder of the estate to an animal charity because that’s what Kemper would have wanted.”
Why would Kemper leave his estate to three dogs? To many, leaving an estate as large as Kemper’s to three animals seems a little extreme. Could it be that Kemper’s family situation was not the best and he decided to leave his fortune to the three animals that brought him joy? Maybe Kemper wanted to his dogs to continue living their sweet life even while he was gone.
The saying “The grass is always greener on the other side” fits snugly into the argument of what constitutes a sweet life. As human beings we tend to believe the next person always has it better. It is often validated if the person always appears jubilant or possesses status symbols which suggest happiness. For example, a person in your sociology class may drive a new BMW and every day you are reminded of this when you gaze at their glittering car keys sprawled across their desk. America’s consumer culture has defined the psychological state of its constituents for a long time. Hence, in the 1950s you were not living the American dream unless you were seeing the USA in your Chevrolet.
There is a point in life when happiness and contentment has to come from within. You never know what someone is dealing with in their life and this is especially true if they are great at maintaining a façade. Life should be lived to the fullest and is a gift that ought to be cherished. I challenge you to chase your wildest dreams! Do not worry about what someone may think, say, or do. Ultimately, you are living YOUR life and not anyone else’s.