HAPPINESS IS TODAY AND NOW
I may have bored you, writing pages on politics and lately on economy and business. Today i am going to write on us, i mean all of us.
We want to be happy all the time. We worry all the time about being happy. Our obsession with happiness prevents us from being happy. A New York investment banker needed a vacation badly. His phychiatrist recommended him that he should take a break or he will break down. The banker went to a fishing spot in a remote mountain location. He bought himself the best designer fishing clothes and gear, including designer bait. He went to a spot recommended by his resort manager. As he relaxed with his fishing rod in his hand and a pipe in his mouth, he saw a local old man settling down some distance away. The banker struggled to catch a fish. But the old man was reeling them in at regular intervals and releasing them back into the river.
The old man saw the perplexed look of the banker. He cheerfully invited him over to where he sat and showed him where the fish were. The banker was very impressed and asked the old man, what he did for a living. The old man replied that he did nothing. He just fished and relaxed. The banker was surprised. He told the man, all the things he was missing in life by not being a professional, like him, in the great city.
The old man asked the banker, what are your plans for future ? The banker said : I will make lots of money, marry and have children.
What comes after that ? asked the old man. Oh ! I shall relax and spend all my time fishing, the banker said. Can't you see that's what i am doing now, the old man responded, why do i need to struggle like you.
We all have a long laundry list of worries. We have them all our lives. Can we predict what will bring us joy and when ? It is very difficult for us to predict when we are likely to be happy. On the other hand, it is very easy for us to say when we shall be worried, which is almost all the time.
We worry, when we have no money. We also worry when we have money. We worry if we have no children, we also worry when we have children. Our wealth and children quite often are the cause of many of our problems. Our worries multiply when our children emulate us.
Worry follows desires just as night follows day. Just as desires have no end, worries too are endless. Do these worries have a purpose ? NO. We forget to enjoy our life now. We never get to enjoy life later. Either we enjoy it here and now, or never. Find happiness being in the present. Be conscious, completely aware of what is happening at the moment. Be happy with whatever you do. Happiness will be yours to keep.
We want to be happy all the time. We worry all the time about being happy. Our obsession with happiness prevents us from being happy. A New York investment banker needed a vacation badly. His phychiatrist recommended him that he should take a break or he will break down. The banker went to a fishing spot in a remote mountain location. He bought himself the best designer fishing clothes and gear, including designer bait. He went to a spot recommended by his resort manager. As he relaxed with his fishing rod in his hand and a pipe in his mouth, he saw a local old man settling down some distance away. The banker struggled to catch a fish. But the old man was reeling them in at regular intervals and releasing them back into the river.
The old man saw the perplexed look of the banker. He cheerfully invited him over to where he sat and showed him where the fish were. The banker was very impressed and asked the old man, what he did for a living. The old man replied that he did nothing. He just fished and relaxed. The banker was surprised. He told the man, all the things he was missing in life by not being a professional, like him, in the great city.
The old man asked the banker, what are your plans for future ? The banker said : I will make lots of money, marry and have children.
What comes after that ? asked the old man. Oh ! I shall relax and spend all my time fishing, the banker said. Can't you see that's what i am doing now, the old man responded, why do i need to struggle like you.
We all have a long laundry list of worries. We have them all our lives. Can we predict what will bring us joy and when ? It is very difficult for us to predict when we are likely to be happy. On the other hand, it is very easy for us to say when we shall be worried, which is almost all the time.
We worry, when we have no money. We also worry when we have money. We worry if we have no children, we also worry when we have children. Our wealth and children quite often are the cause of many of our problems. Our worries multiply when our children emulate us.
Worry follows desires just as night follows day. Just as desires have no end, worries too are endless. Do these worries have a purpose ? NO. We forget to enjoy our life now. We never get to enjoy life later. Either we enjoy it here and now, or never. Find happiness being in the present. Be conscious, completely aware of what is happening at the moment. Be happy with whatever you do. Happiness will be yours to keep.
posted by vaneet kundra at
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
8 Comments:
Thanx a lot for sharing ur lovely thoughts sir.
very nice piece vaneet
Dear Jhangora & Rajeev,
Thanks for your comments. Jhangora is a perfect blogger. I have gone thru his blog. Its amazing. Got to learn a lot from you. Rajeev, thanks for your much awaited comments. Pleae provide me inputs. I shall be obliged.
Dearest Vinny, U have chosen a good subject. I add that there was a farmer who was very happy and content.He was happy because he was content. He was content because he was happy. One day a wise man came to him and told him the glory of diamonds and the power that goes along with them.The farmer could not sleep that night. Next morning he sold off his land and went in search of diamonds. He went all over but could not find diamonds.He got frustrated, went under depression and committed suicide. The man who purchased his farm was busy in irrigating his fields and found a very sparkling stone on the river ved. He picked up the stone and put it on the mantle piece of his drawing room. The same old wise man again visited that farm and saw the sparkling stone and recognised that it was a precious diamond. He asked the gentleman whether the previous owner of the farm has come back but he was told that he committed suicide.Wise man told him that the stone on your mantle piece is a very precious diamond. Both of them went to the canal side and found many more diamonds like that.
MorAl is that when our attitude is right we walk on acres acres of diamonds.Opportunity is always under our feet. We dont have to go anywhere.All we need to do is recognise it and grab the opportunity. God bless U , dear Vinny. PAPA
what a welcum respite from all the heavy duty topics....lovely thoughts...happiness for me is above all the materialistic things in life..NO WORRY BE HAPPY ..should become everyones motto in life..there is no end to taking stress in life be it work, family, health & all other departments of life. But is it solutions to problems of our life? the answer is a big NO ! Worrying about everything ends the essence of life. life is living every moment & being in peace with yourself, its making others happy, its enjoying the good things which nature has given us, its being with your family & seeing them happy. life is living fully& happily....
I agree that opportunities/happiness are also with us. Also as the saying goes that when one door closes another door opens, but the problem is that we spend so much time looking at the closed door that we do not see the open door and many a times miss a good opportunity.Also be content with the life God has given each one of us.Isn't it enough that God has given us a healthy body and mind.Look at people who donot have a hand ,or foot or are mentally slow/retarded Friends, no use cribbing.Enough is never enough these days for each one of us.The greed has taken over the need.Envy ,comparisions, jealousy,possessions,power and above all money has become the most important relative these days. Give yourself a minute or two to introspect yourself and as days pass you will start feeling more happy.
Dear Papa & Lovy,
Thanks again for your comments. Papa, you have narrated a wonderful story. All of us should have a positive attiude, Problem is when we go to this materialistic jungle, our work, our children, family problems etc.. tend to tie us up, and we become unhappy. One should remain happy, is easier said, than done. But one should always try to have a positive attitude. Lovy,i think i was getting too heavy on politics and economy. Thanks for your comments. I will keep it in mind, when i write again. Lighter stuff. But we cant run away from these problems. You have to tame the bull by its horns.
Dear Dr. Manchanda,
While i was writing my comments for papa and lovy, i saw your comments. Atlast, you succeded in writing on the blog. You have rightly put, that one should see the people, below you. I agree money, is the most important thing today for all of us. But one should try to remain happy, with what you have and not try to reach the moon. If your goal is achievable, one must try but keep it in mind at the same time, that you are not to crib, if you fail. Destiny is a very important factor. You cant fight with it. One should always try to be happy, even if you fail, and look for new opportunities. That is the essence of life. Thanks again.
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