By Ravi Matah
Happiness is a state of mind. If an individual wishes to be happy, s/he will always stay happy irrespective of the circumstances; and if s/he wishes to stay unhappy s/he will finds ways and means to keep cribbing about one thing or another.
Some people assume that they will be happy if they buy this or buy that, hoping that material achievements will give them happiness, but they are wrong. Buying a Fridge, TV or installing an air-conditioner may give the individual a notional feeling of happiness, but there is no guarantee that such happiness will stay forever.
Yes, I feel that buying an immovable asset, say a residential family house, can definitely be a happy occasion for a family, but that degree of happiness cannot come through merely buying a couple of household conveniences. Everyone wishes to be happy barring possibly some people who are perennially disgruntled and miserable; they don’t even know how to tread the path towards happiness. One has to change one’s perception about life if one really wants to be happy. There is no laid down yardstick or a set path to define what will lead to happiness. Even though there may by a few do’s and don’ts.
You will know what brings you happiness and what doesn’t only by experiencing it. Thus you will know from your past experience what has given you happiness and what hasn’t. You will also learn from experience what kind of difficulties had confronted you, causing sorrow and unhappiness.
Too many expectations cause unhappiness
I feel that expecting favours from others and not getting these is the worst situation in which one will always remain discontented and unhappy. If someone helps you, be thankful to that person for being there in your hour of need. You can always reciprocate. But the best thing in life is not to expect anything from others.
Next, there is no point in worrying about things in which your efforts were not rewarded as expected. Try a different approach but first analyse what went wrong in the first place? One should not worry and brood over trivial setbacks and wrack your brains unnecessarily. What has to happen will happen and it will happen with His blessings.
Some people worry about money. Yes, money is necessary only to the extent that you should be able to run your household properly, place food on the table for your family and provide proper education to your children. If this is going on smoothly there is no cause for you to worry; be Happy and Say Cheese with a big smile.
Money is essential but only to the extent mentioned above, but it is not the only thing that will keep us happy. So many millionaires spend sleepless nights. Health is wealth is a famous saying and I fully subscribe to it. Yes, there are people who live in posh bungalows, have tons of money in their banks but are still unhappy for one reason or another.
A healthy mind and a healthy body are the two essential ingredients to keep you happy. It is important that you take due care of your health and avoid unnecessary tension. Good health is necessary to keep one happy. A sick person can never be happy. They would rather die than live in misery. A healthy person can work hard, sleep well, earn enough, eat well and enjoy all the good things of life.
Contentment leads to Happiness
I know that many possessions cannot make a man happy. I wish to possess only those things that I need for myself. The more things people have, the more they wish to have. They are never satisfied. A content person alone can always be happy. Midas, with all his gold, was a sad man, while a goldsmith is happy with his small earnings. A blacksmith is happy because he is content with his earnings. Thus contentment is the very sine qua non of Happiness. To be really happy, a person should lead a truthful and honest life. People should help their fellows and love them. In return, a person will always receive love and respect. A person loved and respected by others is always happy. We should have faith in Him and pray to Him.
Thus we see that a happy person is one who has enough to eat, who enjoys sound health, is contended, leads a truthful and honest life and has faith in God. Such is my idea of a happy life. The term happiness is used in the context of mental or emotional states, including positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. All of us desire happiness. We all aim to be happy but our means to achieve it are different. Then how to achieve happiness? Some people run after small pleasures and think that these will make them happy. But they are mistaken. Pleasures are always short-lived, while happiness is a state of mind, a state of bliss that lasts long.
Wealth alone cannot make us really happy. If that were the case, the Kings, Princes, and the wealthy of the world would have been the happiest individuals, since they possess wealth and comfort in abundance. But that really is not true. Hence the adage, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a Crown”.
If you wish to be Happy, be Happy.
(Ravi Matah is a Retired Gazetted Officer.
He is a prolific writer, loves Cricket and pens his thoughts on social issues. He can be reached at ravi_matah@hotmail.com.)
