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Happiness is an inside job MULLA Nasruddin, the old wise man of the village, was searching for something, outside his house. Bent on his knees, he was fiddling with sand and dust. A passerby stopped and asked, "What are you looking for, sir?" I am looking for the needle. I have lost it somewhere", replied Mulla. Out of respect for Mulla, the person joined in the search. Gradually, a few more joined. Someone offered another needle but Mulla declined. A great deal of search failed to yield any result. One person, tired of the fruitless search, asked, "Sir, where exactly was it lost?" "I lost it inside the house," came the reply. A bit surprised, the villager asked for the reason for searching it on the road. Mulla stopped, looked up, and said," My son, it is dark inside."
In the first century a
great philosopher said, "Men are disturbed not by the events but by
the view they take of them." Ancient Indian philosophy also says
that happiness is a state of mind. At one stage or the other, most of us
have heard these lines but we ignore them as we genuinely believe that
they are not relevant in the modern age where men have a lot to achieve
in a competitive and challenging world. We have actually come to believe
that high levels of stress, a constant race against time and increased
dependence on medical intervention are givens in this competitive era. |
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On the other hand, if our efforts fail to bring about the desired results, we feel miserable and dejected. Why is this so? We always seek joy as the outcome of our efforts but do not own up sorrow. We fail to accept it as an integral part of the dynamics of life and the time cycle. Have you ever realised that whatever unhappiness we experience, comes from the persons or objects which gave us delight. Khalil Gibran says, "Joy and sorrow are inseparable; Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily, you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for which has been your delight. Your joy is your sorrow unmasked." Positive and negative emotions are an integral part of human life. A balanced mix of positive and negative emotions energise you to do karma and help to develop society. But excessive positive or negative emotions often result in greed, anger, jealousy, fear and depression. These responses result in unabated and undefined stress, the most devastating killer of the twentyfirst century. Fulfillment of desire (not a need) is a package deal. When we get something; something else is withdrawn by nature. That is called balancing. Nature has provided a 100-point package to everybody. To help understand this concept, these 100 points can be divided into 4-5 sub-heads like family status, education, family life, wealth and health, etc. If the score under one sub-head is abnormally high, it will definitely be very low under another sub-head. For instance, wealthy people often have a deficit of health and appetite. The poor are healthy but crave for money and food. We all keep complaining about our unfulfilled desires, oblivious of our blessings. We realise the importance of such things only when we are deprived of them. Once I had to spend a whole night in severe cold on a railway platform. Past midnight, with a burning sensation in my eyes and an excruciating backache I longed for the comfort of my warm bed at home. Since that day, whenever I am unable to sleep at night, I thank God for giving me a comfortable bed, if not sleep. Once, a journalist asked a philosopher about the happiest moment of his life. His reply was, "I wear the shoes of size six. Once, I spent the whole day in a size-five pair. Next day, when I stepped into my own shoes of size six, it was the happiest moment of my life." He was obviously hinting that if we start counting our blessings we will not be left with any time for complaints. In fact, very little is required for real and stable happiness. Instead of being thankful to the ultimate donor, we spend our lifetime in pleasing people and seeking favours to ensure a life full of comforts. Others can give us pleasure but not happiness, pain but not suffering. Happiness or suffering is optional. Nobody can make us feel unhappy without our consent. If we really wish to remain happy, we need to redefine the concept. |
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This example is symbolic
of the eternal search for happiness, something which we seek outside
though it has to come from within.