A baby announces its arrival in the world with its shrill cries; a man announces his departure from the world by his unbroken stony silence. The book of life covering the period between birth and death contains pages of joy and sorrow, success and failure, triumph and tragedy, pleasure and pain, fulfillment and disappointment, health and sickness. Life is a mixed bag of pairs of opposites. Highs and lows are interwoven and form integral parts of the mosaic of life.
It is our basic nature to seek happiness. Do we get it? When we look around we find ourselves surrounded by suffering. We feel uneasy; that we are perched on an island of some happiness, surrounded on all sides by deep and dark waters of unhappiness. Is happiness just a mirage? The fact is that there is neither undiluted happiness, nor unabated unhappiness. Life is both. However, the nature of pain is such that it appears that the unhappy phase of life is interminably long.
When we are faced with unhappy situations, we may derive some comfort by observing and learning from Nature. A cold and dark night yields to the refreshing morning sun, with its soothing rays of warmth, radiating light dispelling darkness. After every chilly winter, there comes the spring, bringing warmth, hope and cheer. At the end of a dark long tunnel, there is light.
Happiness is a state of mind, which keeps us in a state of well being. Several important ingredients go to make the “commodity” known as happiness. But this precious commodity is simply not available in a departmental store. While money can buy pleasures, it cannot buy happiness. A rich man need not necessarily be happy. By the same token a poor man need not necessarily be unhappy. Happiness has to be experienced from within. A fairly comfortable financial position, cordial and harmonious family relations and good health contribute to a happy life. But these alone would not ensure enduring happiness. Many a time we script unhappiness for ourselves and for others.
The mind reacts to external stimuli and this could sometimes bring us happiness or unhappiness. For enduring happiness, the internal war that rages within our minds should first cease. We should come to terms with external ground realities. As physical training keeps the body in good shape, so also mental training helps in keeping the mind tranquil and balanced in the face of adversity.
Things happen not as we want them to, but according to a pre-obtained scheme of things, over which we have little control. We were not consulted about the choice of our parents, place of birth our sex. Neither will we be consulted about our time of death, its place and manner. The cards are dealt to us. We have to play them to the best of our ability. We do not gain anything by fretting or fuming over things over which we have no control whatsoever. We only become unhappy in the process. Accept gracefully the things given to us, the good or bad, and abjectly surrender to the dictates of destiny.
Life does not lend itself to strictly scientific analysis. In the rough and tumble of life two plus two may not necessarily equal to four. There are many questions for which we have no answers.
It is our basic nature to seek happiness. Do we get it? When we look around we find ourselves surrounded by suffering. We feel uneasy; that we are perched on an island of some happiness, surrounded on all sides by deep and dark waters of unhappiness. Is happiness just a mirage? The fact is that there is neither undiluted happiness, nor unabated unhappiness. Life is both. However, the nature of pain is such that it appears that the unhappy phase of life is interminably long.
When we are faced with unhappy situations, we may derive some comfort by observing and learning from Nature. A cold and dark night yields to the refreshing morning sun, with its soothing rays of warmth, radiating light dispelling darkness. After every chilly winter, there comes the spring, bringing warmth, hope and cheer. At the end of a dark long tunnel, there is light.
Happiness is a state of mind, which keeps us in a state of well being. Several important ingredients go to make the “commodity” known as happiness. But this precious commodity is simply not available in a departmental store. While money can buy pleasures, it cannot buy happiness. A rich man need not necessarily be happy. By the same token a poor man need not necessarily be unhappy. Happiness has to be experienced from within. A fairly comfortable financial position, cordial and harmonious family relations and good health contribute to a happy life. But these alone would not ensure enduring happiness. Many a time we script unhappiness for ourselves and for others.
The mind reacts to external stimuli and this could sometimes bring us happiness or unhappiness. For enduring happiness, the internal war that rages within our minds should first cease. We should come to terms with external ground realities. As physical training keeps the body in good shape, so also mental training helps in keeping the mind tranquil and balanced in the face of adversity.
Things happen not as we want them to, but according to a pre-obtained scheme of things, over which we have little control. We were not consulted about the choice of our parents, place of birth our sex. Neither will we be consulted about our time of death, its place and manner. The cards are dealt to us. We have to play them to the best of our ability. We do not gain anything by fretting or fuming over things over which we have no control whatsoever. We only become unhappy in the process. Accept gracefully the things given to us, the good or bad, and abjectly surrender to the dictates of destiny.
Life does not lend itself to strictly scientific analysis. In the rough and tumble of life two plus two may not necessarily equal to four. There are many questions for which we have no answers.
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