We appear to want a life that is simply a series of expansions, in the form of successes, celebrations, fun, wins, pleasant surprises, and the acquisition of new understanding or skills. On the other hand, contraction suggests a decline in activity, a slowing down, and pulling in. A contraction often happens when we experience grief, failure, fear, defeat, feeling lost, and fatigue. There are at least two reasons for our distaste for contraction. The first is our denial of death. Death may be the ultimate expression of a contraction, with sadness, loss of energy, and interests being reminders of death. The second is our obsession with happiness, which defines unhappiness as simply inappropriate. This happiness mandate leaves us confused about the nature of love, responsibility, freedom, courage, and maturity, all of which have their moments of defeat and loss. The unbridled pursuit of happiness leaves us with a distortion, a skewed vision of life.