Happiness is an attitude of mind. It can never be related to acquisition of material things. Over the last five decades I have met various sets of people who pretend to be happy but are lost in their own world of thoughts. They don’t look at what God Almighty has bestowed on them but they are content of thinking about have not.
I have met innumerable people – in college – during my job – relatives and friends plus acquaintances. Some of them tried to feign happiness and they laugh three times – eh eh eh- but at the same time they are thinking of something else. They are talking to you or me but their minds are elsewhere. But where? They are thinking about their past and living there – they are worried about their future – about which they have done nothing and thereby they spoil their present, Perhaps they have not read the famous quotation by a philosopher and I quote that – “The past is what is gone – the future is an optical illusion – today is the best day of your life”.
Live today – do what you want to do – enjoy as if there is no tomorrow. A couple of years ago God gave me a chance to visit Seattle USA. We stayed there for about three months and used to go for a walk to the nearby market everyday to spend time for about a couple of hours. It was a thirty minutes walk and on the way we (my wife and I) used to meet at least 20 to 25 people on way. And now kindly give a moments attention. Every person we met on the way would talk to us and the conversation would go on like this –
Good morning Sir
I – Good morning
He – How are you doing?
I – I am fine thank you.
He – Have a nice day Sir.
Now this conversation went on with everyone on the road irrespective of whether it is a he or she, elderly or a young boy or girl.
Now please pay a moment’s attention to the last line of the above conversation – It says ‘Please have a nice day’. It does not say about your five decades gone nor does it mention about the balance of your life. It says have a nice day i.e. today. So enjoy today.
I have met various people who say that they will be happy when they will be able to buy big TV or a music system or a DVD player or a house or a sofa or a carpet etc. There is no end to materialistic desires. And please take note that whenever, at a later date, this person is able to acquire these possessions he will be more unhappy Why? Because he wanted these things twenty five years ago and not when he was fifty plus. And when he achieved them he was still not content. So it transpires that material goods never guarantee happiness though sometimes they may give momentry satisfaction.
After all what I have said I am also thinking what happiness is all about? It is directly related to contentment. Ever been to a house where prayer or paath or havan is in progress? At the end of the entire pooja a mantra is chanted for Shanti (Peace).
Now what is the path to peace? I can but not forget the statement of Late J.F.K.Kennedy, the President of United States, “Ask not what the country can do for you – ask yourself what you can do for your country”. How wonderful is the sentence, and meaningful also.
Now back to Shanti (Peace) – there are three steps to achieve it
Step 1 – Trust
Step 2 – Love
Step 3 – Sacrifice
By the above Shanti (Peace) is achieved.
Now let me see if I can sum this up for you. You all would be wondering how this is possible. Please look at what you do. When you come back from work you keep your wallet and car keys on your bedside board or on the reading table. Why? Because you TRUST that your wife and two kids will neither steal the purse nor the car. The emphasis is on trust. Then you talk affectionately to your wife – son and daughter and there is a bondage of LOVE. If either of the kids asks you for anything that may cost any amount you don’t hesitate for a second in time because that factor of love and affection is playing its part. And that is SACRIFICE. We spend our entire life times savings on upbringing, educating and settling our kids (without an iota of remorse whatsoever) because the dictum of trust – love – sacrifice is always working in its place.
And once you have spent on your family or for that matter friends or someone else – it gives you tremendous amount of satisfaction – which brings peace to your mind. And hence you are happy. Kindly note that the pleasure is in giving and not receiving’
One more thing it is a famous saying that more you pray the more you get. What is this ‘more’? Na Na. Not that way – it means that when you pray to Him (in whatever form or figure you have faith in) it gives you a level of satisfaction that you have communicated to Him and that alone brings contentment which is automatically followed by peace.
So be happy and pray. I have, as yet, not been able to find any other way. If you have please let us know.
Your comments are welcome.