It was just a couple weeks ago that Flappy Bird took the world by storm. One minute you’re reading tweets about food comas and how much everyone hates mornings, and the next, dozens of tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagram pics are all about Flappy Bird. It’s incredible how quickly 7 billion people unite over a silly time wasting game. Not that I have anything against Flappy Bird. In fact, I’m playing it right now. However, am I the only one who thinks it’s kind of freaky how fast we all jump on to a fad?

It would be nice to think that every person is unique. But these days, as common as it is to claim that we’re doing something different, we rarely are. The things we claim to be unique are often as common as a Starbucks coffee. Think about it. We all go to the same stores. Even a store like Urban Outfitters, where the clothes seem ‘alternative’ and different, they really aren’t. Everyone’s walking around in high waisted shorts and riding boots. Fashion magazines tell us what to wear. Dr. Oz tells us what superfood we should all be eating, and IMBD tells us which movies we should be watching.

Raise you’re hand if you’ve ever taken a road trip. Now keep your hand up if you’ve ever ate at a restaurant that wasn’t a chain during said road trip. Anyone’s hand still up? No. Not even mine. We would rather stick with the familiar than the adventurous. If it hasn’t been done it probably won’t be.

I’m not trying to be preachy. I’m no different, and as much as I’d like to say that I’m a non-conformist, I really am. There’s no escape from this reality. Even people who are non-conformists end up conforming. For instance, Hipsters, Goths, Emos, etc..

So what’s the point of this admittedly self-righteous rant? The man who created Flappy Bird, Don Nguyon, took the game down earlier this month. It seemed so non-sensical. Why was a man making $50,000 a day in advertising revenue, so miserable? Don however, is a true individual. He simply wished to live in peace. Unlike the majority of us out there, he was content with his life and didn’t want his simple life disturbed by media attention and money.

All of us can take a lesson here. It is possible to be happy without the newest iphone, the squeakiest sneakers, or the biggest mansion. In the end, our confusion at Nguyon’s decision is based on our misplaced correlation of happiness with money. When in reality, happiness is a choice.