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Happiness is a state of mind and it is within each one’s will to be happy or not. Happiness is an offshoot of contentment with one’s lot. But verily no human is happy all the time despite having abundant wealth and a family to share it with.
The mind seeks and dwells on the absence of something rather than rejoicing in the presence of many things.
It is human tendency to let the lack of something assume a space disproportionate to that of the things available in plenty. The mind aches to feel sad, dwelling on the absence, resulting in negativity. Suppose you are offered a bouquet of lovely multi coloured flowers but see your favourite lily missing. Do you feel unhappy and continue to harp on this?
The flowers are unable to emote, but what if it were a group of persons having come to wish you on your birthday and one person whom you consider important is missing? Won’t your expression of disappointment affect the ones who have come to wish you? Will it not dampen the atmosphere all around? The moment is spoilt, never to be retrieved.
The prudent way is to accept what is presented to you, be content with what is present in the present, and simply flow along with the current of the river like life. The more one resists the circumstance with dissatisfaction, the adverse impact turns more forceful. What is beyond one’s control is best borne with humility and patience.
The 17th century iconic poet John Milton’s words upon turning blind, “...who best bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best”...are moving and teach us not to fret and fume when things try to crush us by not going our way. Milton’s attitude was one of immense faith in the Almighty despite the blow that he suffered in the form of blindness in his mid life, and it resembles the practice of accepting life’s foibles as karmic reactions to one’s past deeds known or unknown to us. As such although life experiences are not offered a la carte, life is also a tide churned out of present moments.
It is up to us to shape these moments and direct the flow towards influencing the state of our mind and quality of life.