Happiness, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is ‘the state of being happy; an experience that makes you happy.’ Different people have a different take on what happiness is. For some it is splurging on shopping or having a lot of money, and for others, it is spending quality time at home. It is something which comes from within, not without. You have to be happy to make others happy. There is no formula for happiness. It has to be felt, and shared. It is being able to take pleasure in the smallest things of life, like a smile on the countenance of family members.
Happiness is not an end in itself; it is a constantly changing process. True success in life is being in a state of enduring happiness. Seek happiness in the small elements of everyday life and make sure you find something that makes you laugh out loud.
It’s always best to accept reality, whatever it may be, and move on. A feeling of insecurity leads to a life of sorrow. One should reach a state of mind where happiness is not dependent on anything.
‘Happiness for me is when mom cooks delicious food; my dad surprises me with gifts, and when my family is beside me through thick and thin …but at times I wonder how people who don’t have the luxuries we have, are happy’, says Rasika, a design student based in Bengaluru.
The then monarch Jigme Singye Wangchuck of the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, in the 1970s pioneered ‘Gross National Happiness’ as the goal of development rather than gross domestic product (GDP).
The question as to whether money really buys you happiness, is a matter of debate. A recent study says that it appears that money can buy you happiness and affluence and plays a pivotal role in financial outlook.
The higher income earners are less financially stretched and higher prices are unlikely to cause them too much concern. On the other hand, a lack of money holds people back from realising their dreams. A U.S based psychologist explains, ‘Many people think happiness is just a pleasant experience, but medical research shows that people who experience good feelings, for example, are less likely to get sick, and are more social and philanthropic.
But it’s the little things in life that gives the greatest moments of happiness. Nothing can beat the burst of pleasure you get at discovering a forgotten `1,000/- note in the pocket of an old shirt. Or the thrill when you find the single vacant seat in a bus or train!! True, happiness also lies in forgiving yourself and others, being grateful and appreciative, living each day as though it was your last. And above all, view the world through the eyes of a child thrilled by the process of observing and experiencing the wonder and beauty in every single thing.
Swami Sukhabodhanand says that ‘being happy involves destroying the ‘hurt body’. Every thought creates energy – substance. It is subtle and can be negative or positive. If negative, it results in the creation of a subtle hurt body. The secret of happiness lies in destroying the hurt body by creating bliss body.
Another school of thought avers that life may start getting happier after 50. With age comes experience and wisdom, tools that increase one’s ability to accept the world, eschewing its imperfections. For children, inculcating in them a positive self-image is a basic ingredient for a happy, successful and confident life. That is what indicates how we react emotionally, socially and spiritually to different stages8 and people in our lives.
Happiness constantly eludes one who is dominated by base instincts and in the process, suppresses the inner voice of conscience. It is a pity that instead of living a simple life devoid of complications, we keep hankering after material things.
The final chapter of the Uddhav Gita, part of the Srimad Bhagavatam, gives deep insights into psychotherapy. ‘All unhappiness is born out of the psychological condition of mind called vritis or modifications. Competition, jealousy, hatred and ego destroy our happiness. Keep doing your duty to the best of your capacity without ulterior motive, which will lead to enlightenment.’
The Buddhist perspective is also that true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed.
In conclusion, I quote Swami Brahmdev who states, ‘the idea of happiness is a kind of ignorance. If your understanding is healthy, then you will never give too much importance to happiness. Happiness is not the idea, purpose or aim of life. Happiness is a consequence, a fruit.
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A Radhakrishnan
The writer is a Pune-based freelance journalist, short story writer and poet.[/column]