HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT.

HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT

What is the objective of the man's endless quests? For what purpose is the constant hankering after things in perpetual succession? We may come up with desperate answers on the superficial surface of issues like money, fame, luxury, career etc. But have we ever pondered on that common, universal aspect that underlies all our activities? Have we ever questioned within ourselves what is the actual drive that has necessitated this mad chase? Voluntarily it is one or some of the above-mentioned things. But an involuntary summing up with or without our knowledge is ' Happiness'.

Happiness is the basic essence of our perusals in life. All human endeavors are a constant seeking of security, which in turn fosters happiness. For example we all want to make lots of money to lead a trouble free life; or we want to acquire fame so as to gain status in society. We are very happy when we make money and become famous. One is swept away in the current of happiness when it shows its sunny side. One can wonder because happiness is all about being sunny. So is 'sunny' not the only facet of happiness?

There is another aspect about happiness that we encounter in our daily life but goes unnoticed. It is the elusive nature of happiness. When things do not turn out to one's expectation then the spirit of happiness wanes away leaving only a scar on the memory for time to heal. This leads to a succession of counter actions (reacting with different actions) to make up for the evasion of the results of what one anticipated. For example if a person meets with failure in some aspect, he is pushed to other actions to attain success.

On the other hand the satisfaction of one's realized goals also drives one to the performance of counteractions. For example a person who started a business from scratch attained success and his business started flourishing. Now he wants to set foot in another business along with one that is going on. Likewise his successful achievements probe him to achieve more. Hence we are almost pushed to the state of programmed automatons entrapped within the circle of action, results and counter actions. A casual thinking will reveal to us that we are always on the move performing some action or the other, all for happiness. So is our happiness dependent on external happenings like money, fame, power etc?

Happiness when has the external occurrences (money, fame, career, family etc) to fall back on, will definitely be elusive. For example a person is very happy if he gets a promotion at office, or is overjoyed when he finds a good companion. But his happiness will vanish when he is overburdened by work due to his promotion, or he is not satisfied with certain aspects of his companion.

The idea is not that one has to cease to give up actions. In truth one cannot, as life itself is a long series of actions. All that is required of oneself is to not to be swayed by success and failures. It is all about developing equilibrium with regards to emotions. It is just to understand that life is made up of interchanging events of success and failures. When we understand this in the right vein happiness is no more elusive. At this juncture happiness assumes a new immortal meaning called 'contentment'.

Contentment is an ever-joyous state where one is unharmed by the pairs of opposites, success and failure. For example a person is happy with his current position at office. He looks forward for a promotion for his hard work. He is happy if he is qualified for the promotion, otherwise he is content with the current position. He is not disturbed by the fact that he is not recognized for his work. He thinks calmly what to be done next.

The cup is always up to the brim no matter what happens. So actions can continue to go on till the ultimate end of life but its results hardly has an impact on one's mind. Hence when one's mind is contented, it is capable of confronting counter actions with an unperturbed zeal that allows more chances for success. The more the degree of contentment, more often it reveals its bubbly and cheerful side, 'Happiness'.

Hence contentment is that which has to be targeted. Once it is located in the inner chambers of one's being, its other side 'happiness' is no more an elusive state. So happiness is from within. It is a state that shows up from within one's being that blossoms beautifully rendering a new fragrance to life.