In Search of Happiness

An article by Shilpa Nadkarni
Be it you, me or anyone else…I often see everyone, including myself running behind something or the other, each one us running at a different pace..this makes me think what are we running behind? At an early age kids are pushed to achieve good grades, rank well in sports or any other co-curricular activities, teenagers to beat the cut-throat competition, later to crack interviews and get employed in a good organization… ultimately leading to success and making it to a big fat package ..
The only question remains is – Are we happy after achieving all above…? ‘Yes’ most of us would say but this happiness fades after a short while .. and we somewhere tell or ask ourselves ‘What next?’ Or have a pre-planned goal ready to be worked on..some will agree this is what life is all about and keeps us going.. I call this a cycle of ‘Momentary Happiness..’
Many will agree that Happiness is a state of mind irrespective of the grades, ranks, money we earn, awards that we win…one must only have the vision to pick it up and enjoy it from wherever we are.
Happiness can be felt in giggling, laughter of an innocent child, chirping birds in the morning, in the beautiful smile of this girl who has made such a beautiful rangoli with wild flowers and leaves (clearly she has done the beautiful art without spending a single penny), look at the happiness on faces of these boys who are playing carrom without a board and using the caps of bottles as coins.
Have you ever noticed a spark of happiness in the eyes of old parents when they meet their child who returns back home after completing education in a foreign country or is back home on a vacation? Have you ever seen that spark of happiness in any mother’s eye when she picks up her child to go back home after a 5/6 hours of playschool? Have you ever seen a spark of happiness in the eyes of a soldier’s family, when he returns back home safely after the war? Have you ever experienced the happiness or joy of giving?
Amazing…Happiness is all free of cost …all we need is the vision..
It feels like why did it ever take soooo long for us to realize such a simple fact of life? Had we realized it earlier we could have not gone through the killing stress, many people would have been saved off heart attacks, blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid and many more such stress related ailments…but its never too late..