Saturday, July 5, 2008

HAPPYNESS RE-VISITED


“Why is everyone here so happy except me?
“because they have learned to see goodness and beauty everywhere,” said the Master
Why don’t I see goodness and beauty everywhere?
“Because you cannot see outside of you what you fail to see inside”

Taken from Antony de Mello’s ‘One Minute Wisdom’

Twenty three hundred years ago Aristotle concluded that, more than anything else, men and women seek happiness. While happiness itself is sought for its own sake, every other goal – health, beauty, wealth, or power – is valued only because we expect that it will make us happy. All of us want happiness…right? But how many of us are really happy. In fact the business you do or the job in which you put hard work or the profession in which you give your full dedication are all for nothing but happiness. Leave alone these big things, even the cup of tea you sip or the expensive dresses and ornaments you wear or the car you drive are all for deriving happiness. But even after having all these are we really happy! In the last twenty three hundred years almost everything has changed; the brain power of human being, the means of communication and transportation, the lifestyle etc. But nothing is changed on this important issue of seeking happiness. We do not understand what happiness is any better than Aristotle did, and as for learning how to attain that blessed condition, one could argue that we have made no progress at all.

In this column we are trying to explore the ways to derive happiness. Like what we always say ‘Men are born to win, but conditioned to lose,’ we could say ‘we are all born to be happy, but living an unhappy life.’ Some of us today woke up to a wonderful Monday, while some others to another dull boring Monday. Where is the difference? The day is the same. The world is the same. For some one who has got some exciting things to do today or to receive some exciting news or reward today, it is a wonderful day. But for some others who hate to go to that frustrating workplace, it is a dull day. In fact we create our reality….we create the day everyday.

Is Happiness an achievable day to day goal? Yes. First you accept the fact that you are the one who decides whether it is a good day or a bad day…you are the one who decide whether the world is a wonderful place to live in or a frustrating place to live with. You create your reality. Let happiness be your reality.