We live in a world where everyone is living with this wish to remain happy at every moment of life. We try to avoid pain and seek pleasure, we appreciate success, achievements and discourage failure. We love being loved and hate being hated. We want ease in life and avoid struggles. Some what in this journey of happiness we have lost the actual path, we have lost the actual means of happiness. we question ourselves about the true happiness, things that really bring happiness, we question our selves what is happiness? Is really anyone happy? How to get it? What are the means to achieve happiness?
Happiness is a state, yet its meaning differ for everyone. There is no universally accepted definition of happiness. For failure, happiness is being successful and having great achievements, for successful person happiness lies in getting a step ahead in vocation or having good and strong relationships, for poor happiness is in having enough money or being rich, for sick happiness lies in health, for orphan happiness lies in living with parents so on and so forth. The happiness seems to be in things that are lost or yet not achieved or in things other than what they possess.
A man believes that everyone is happy other than himself. He always lives with this thought that he alone is facing such tough situations, he alone is struggling, he alone is not getting it. And one also live with this thought that second person is receiving better than him, living better than him. These are most dangerous thoughts and worst strategies that we use and ruin our happiness.
Happiness is believed by many people to lie in having a lot of wealth and techno aids; having advanced health care and education. But there are countries like U.S.A, Canada, France, Sweden etc enjoying high economic status, guarantee huge aid to its people in time of calamities, advanced health facilities, social support yet hub of depression, sadness, worries and tension. There are millions of people worldwide suffering from depression most of them are from these developed countries and thousands of them commit suicide everyday. Science had made life so easy that we get a simple as well as tough task done at a single click but added to our mental burden. Bertrand Russell once said, “man achieved victory through science in his struggle of nature, but in his struggle against self he has failed”. The struggle against self is to bring calm, happiness, satisfaction, hope, faith, resilience etc. No matter how much comfortable life a man lives but it cannot guarantee happiness.
The journey of happiness is not paying because we are searching it in wrong things. Those things which are not in our hands, things which we are unable to get. The first effort that we should do in our journey of happiness is to be “Grateful” and contended for what we have. Being grateful for the things that are in hand rather than what is lost or not even found. Happiness needs different efforts than money, or fame. When people work for any goal and fortunately achieve it but in the end they find themselves successful, famous, healthy or billionaire, but unfortunately the happiness for which they strive isn’t found. Someone has rightly said, “soul is desirous of more when you let it desire and when you turn it towards little than it is content”. There is never ending chain of human desire, needs and biggest enemy of happiness. Those who live a life of contentment always feel happiness. They enjoy what they have. Happiness is a choice. One can be happy with nothing or unhappy with everything. For some, blessings are easy to count; for some pains are easy to count. It depends whether one looks on thorns or on petals while perceiving life. Happiness is internal and we should find it within ourselves.
Happiness lies within so don’t search it outside”, ” Do what you love or love what you do” this will instil in you a great pleasure and satisfaction.”