Happiness & Musings on Happiness

10/17/2003

Next only to the primal instinct of all living beings: SURVIVAL , the most dominating desire and hope, drive and motivation in all humans, irrespective of gender, creed, race, color, country or community , is HAPPINESS. There is none that is averse to it, none that does not aspire for it, whatever be one's concept of that word. Everyone, without exception, wants to be happy, and stealthily sometimes, and sometimes impulsively, treads towards that objective. Yet one of the most difficult things to define is the word 'Happiness' ! However, a subtle distinction has perhaps to be made between 'pleasure' and
'happiness', the former tending to be more ephemeral and transient, whereas the latter more abiding and tranquil. Often the former is mistaken for the latter. On deeper consideration, one has to aspire for such a state of happiness that is borne out of complacency towards 'pairs of opposites' (dwandva) such as like and dislike, love and hatred, joy and sorrow etc. Ultimately, Seers of Wisdom point out the way for a serene and durable happiness, culminating in supreme immortal Bliss.

Hear now to an exhilarating poem entitled "Sing Away Thy Life", and some musings on 'Happiness' from my books 'Random Musings' and 'Pearls of Wisdom' :

SING AWAY THY LIFE

Sing away thy life,
Sing away thy life !
Whether light with bubbling joy,
Or heavy with painful strife,
Sing away thy life !

As the bird soars in the sky,
As the fish swims in the sea,
Let thy free spirit ever glide
Thru realms of unbounded glee.
Sing away thy life !

There are Powers beyond thee
That mold and shape thy destiny.
Do thy part well and believe
He shall justly reward thee.
Sing away thy life !

Life hath its ups and downs,
For that's the way it is !
But hark, Faith is all you need
To keep thy life at ease.
Sing away thy life !

Musings: ON HAPPINESS :

The best way to be happy is to try to make others be.
* * *
The happiness of an individual springs out of the fulfilment of one's duties in this world.
* * *
Money is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for happiness in life.
* * *
The thrill of material happiness is experienced only during transitions, just as current is induced in a conductor only during a change in magnetic flux, and not in a static field, however powerful it be.
* * *
Happiness has to do with not merely what you earn or acquire, but, how you do it, and what
you do with it.
* * *
Most of the time in our life, we presume and hope that somebody or something would give us happiness. And often, the expected would not happen !
* * *
The causes and factors that make one happy, need not be the same as those that
make another happy.
* * *
Anybody can perhaps make somebody happy sometimes.
Somebody can perhaps make anybody happy sometimes.
Somebody can perhaps make somebody happy all times.
BUT, nobody can make everybody happy all times !
* * *
Happy is the person who does not search for the causes of happiness !
* * *
You are not fully happy, in the fullest sense, as long as you expect happiness from
external sources.
* * *
A person clamouring for happiness in the external world of beings and objects, is like the circumference of a circle frantically searching for its center, but alas, outside of itself !