The question sounds very simple and innocent. Immediately, the response that comes to one’s mind is – ‘Of course, I am happy! Why shouldn’t I be.’ But (and I take the liberty of saying this), most of us would agree that this is more of a reassurance we give ourselves, the factual verity of which is subject to debate. It is a highly-loaded question and the deep introspection which the question necessitates is often overlooked by us in our quest for professional and personal glories. While asking this question to oneself at a daily level might not be realistic, but doing so at different check-points in our careers (and our lives) is imperative as it will help us analyse whether or not we are moving ahead in the right direction. The travesty – more often than not, we skip multiple check-points for different reasons, only to later realise that where we are isn’t where we wanted ourselves to be.
Happiness, I feel, is like any other emotion. And for that very reason, it should be treated like one – it will come and it will go. No one can claim it to be their inherent property and shouldn’t have too many attachments with it. And like any other emotion, it is dynamic in nature and fluctuates and depends on the time, day, week, month, quarter and so on.
Coming back to the answer to that question – it depends on which side of the bed I get up from.
Some days I get up feeling thankful for all that I have.
- I think about the millions (maybe even billions) of people who haven’t been as fortunate as me and struggle daily to fulfil the three necessities of life – Roti, Kapda aur Makan (Food, Cloth and Shelter).
- I think about the good health that has been bestowed upon me devoid of any major dysfunctionality (touchwood!).
- I think about the glorious prospects that the future holds, wherein the world is my canvas waiting for me to color it with my imagination.
Then, there are the other kind of days when I feel well and truly miserable and undermined at where I am presently.
- I think about all the success that my peers and neighbours are getting at a daily level – the foreign business trips, the promotions at work, the hefty paychecks.
- I think about the book-sales of fellow authors – the ‘best-seller’ tags, the ‘youth-icon’ labels
- I think about future that looks bleak – full of uncertainty and mystery, making me go weak on my knees.
Happiness-Sadness, the fluctuations come and go. However, one thing that remains constant with me is a poem that I read long back on the internet. It helps bring perspective to my thoughts and ensures that I stay ‘composed’, happiness/unhappiness notwithstanding. Sharing it below for the benefit of everyone –
Sometimes in life we feel so blue,
But someone, somewhere is not as happy as you..
Somewhere far at the border when a soldier sleeps,
Missing his loved ones he silently weeps…
Somewhere a mother painfully sighs,
Cause her new born baby didn’t open her eyes…
Somewhere a poor dad silently cries,
When he sees his son begging for a bowl of rice…
Somewhere in an orphanage a little girl’s sad
When she misses her mom and dad…
So at times a reason to smile you may not have any,
Say to yourself that you are happier than many…
Because life is beautiful and it is not always blue,
And someone, somewhere is not as happy as you!
Whether I am happy or not, I don’t know. At times, it’s not in my control. But am I ‘composed’ enough to tackle happiness or sadness (whichever makes an appearance) in my life? I most certainly am.
Shobhit Agarwal 