We might have grown in life and acquired the best of luxuries and comforts, but, when someone close to you asks you – “Are you happy” – the answer would never be affirmative. The answer would always be like – “Yaa sort of. A lot of work. No time for anything.” And then it is also justified by saying that – “Well someone has to work hard in the family to be financially sufficient and make rest of the family members feel secure and happy.”
True, as the head of the family, one has to make the family financially secure – but how much, is the question?
We are never satisfied with what we have, and our thirst and chase for more never ends.
I deeply regret when I think that for almost 14 years, I could never watch a movie in a cinema hall with my family. The gap has been stretched between movie ‘Raju Chacha’ at PVR Priya Cinema in Delhi to ‘Milkha Singh’ in Udaipur. I saw myself running like Milkha Singh without being called ‘Flying Sikh.’ Sitting in the cinema hall, I realised, that the experience of watching a movie has so much changed.
Though I was in the cinema hall, but unfortunately, my mind was stuck in the office and eyes glued to the mobile.
You would agree with me that if your office knows you are in a movie – and also enjoying life; a whole lot of pending work is reminded at that very time by your manager. You are messaged and called again and again to ensure that you mix the dialogues of the movie with the pending work. It is ensured that everything is extremely urgent and need resolution in only those two hours of movie.
Question is again – Am I happy? The reply is – No. I am not.
Every person has a character in the office. Some wish to remain in limelight and some are like back-benchers. I have always desired to be in the front row. I liked when people said – “He is busy and never free.” That aways made me feel good about my position.
I remember, I was travelling with one of the top business tycoons in his charter-plane and realised that, in spite of all the money and wealth, he was not happy. There were few more people also in the charter-plane and everyone was speaking about some issues. I carefully saw that everyone was carrying a medicine pouch. Few took medicines before the flight and few during the flight.
Wondering, how do you define happiness?
Happiness – Is it when you, somehow, smile to please your family or boss or someone important to you? Or is it that when you laugh so much that your stomach starts paining? Or is that you are sitting peacefully on a relaxed chair, with your eyes closed and a pleasant smile on your face?
Many would agree with me that happiness is when you are having breakfast or lunch or dinner and forget to keep your mobile on your dining table – beside your plate. Happiness is when you place your legs on the centre table, while reading newspaper or watching TV. Happiness is when you want to eat your lunch or dinner sitting on the floor, without using spoons or forks. Happiness is when you wait for your child to narrate what all happened in the school. Happiness is when you want to have cutting-chai at a roadside restaurant, without bothering about the hygiene. Happiness is when you watch uninterrupted movie or cricket match on your television. Happiness is when you do not bring office matters in every conversation. Happiness is when you hear your wife speaking about how the maids have harassed her. Happiness is when you say – “Hell to everyone, let me be myself, and lets have dinner at a nice place, after watching a good movie.”
If you are able to manage even 50% of the above, you are a happy person. Congratulations!!!
A wise man said, you cannot buy happiness with money, it’s about emotions – and emotions are priceless.
Comfort is important but being happy due to luxuries is another matter. It is like having a blood pressure medicine while sitting in a Limousine or Merc.
Make your life simpler and find time for yourself. Just do it for few months and you would realise that the year would seem longer – you would be able to count 365 days in a year – 7 days of a week – and 24 hours in a day.
I often say, let us eat less but let us be happy. Let us be content with what we have. May be by running faster in life, we are only cutting our life-span, and not the distance.