We all know, whatever our goals are, whether to have the dream house or to drive that dream car or to get married to that beautiful girl or to get that long-awaited promotion in the job, the ultimate purpose is to get happiness. However, if you critically analyze, what we sacrifice most of the time in achieving these goals is happiness!
You ask a little baby who doesn’t have any worries or stress in life, ‘are you happy?’ he may say “no, look at my elder brother who is going to the school…he has uniform, he can travel in a bus, he has friends in the school, he is enjoying more freedom than me. When I start going school I will be happy.” When he started going school, he was asked ‘are you happy now?’. “Not at all, look those smart guys who are in the college…they don’t have any big bags to carry, they can bunk classes, they seems to be enjoying their life…I will be happy when I start going college.’ Now our friend is in the college, must be really happy, but he says, “I will be happy once I get a well paid job, I want to be independent.’ Once he gets the well paid job his happiness seems to be got shifted to a married life…then to have children…then to get the children get well placed…then they to get married…then to get his retirement and the process goes on. Our friend is continuously chasing happiness. Once he reaches a level he finds that the happiness has moved to the next level. The chase continues. Now when our friend is totally retired from job, got his grand children also married, has got enough wealth and has achieved almost everything he wanted to achieve. You ask him, ‘Now that you have achieved everything in your life, you must be happy.” Surprisingly he says, “Not at all, happy days were those childhood days. Look at that little baby…how happy he is. I am sad because I can never become that baby again.”
Don’t get surprised if you find a board outside the cemetery, written on it, “Your Search for Happiness ends here.”
Now the question, is there a way by which we can derive happiness in our life? Probably in this materialistic world it is an unrealistic dream. Because in this fast paced world, which is driven by competition and comparisons, where technology is challenging human capabilities, where it is so challenging to keep pace with the outrageous overflow of information and knowledge, whatever we accomplish becomes nothing in the next moment. The happiness you got by buying the latest model hi-fi mobile didn’t even last for one month, when you found a better model with your friend, the happiness you derived by using your latest model digital camera was brutally buried in a weeks time when your friend showed his cute sleek digital camera with higher resolution bought at a lower price. Hence if you want to find happiness from materialistic things, you are sure to fail. But most of us measure happiness from the things we possess and the positions we hold in life. Hence if your measure for happiness is materialistic possessions and positions you are guaranteed with unhappiness, stress and inferior feelings.
I am not saying that you should not possess materialistic things. You should definitely build your dream house, buy your dream car, send your children to the best school, …. but the moment you believe that your happiness is derived from all these things, happiness fades away from your life. Because happiness is not a destination, it is the journey itself. It is not a goal, it is a state of mind, and you cannot achieve your goals without being in this state of mind. The only moment you are living is this present moment. You can neither live in the past moment, nor in the future. Past is history and future is mystery. The only moment which is in your control is this moment. Hence decide to be happy now…..at this moment. The word ‘present’ means gift! This moment is the gift God has given you. Experience this beautiful gift…the greatest blessing. Have a great happy moment and wonderful week ahead
