I have often been confused by the notion of happiness. I have tried to equate it with contentment and have found it to be its synonym.
I have also linked it with ‘our passion’ because when we try to follow what our heart says we experience that special feeling, which is probably ‘happiness’.
I have never tried those ecstatic moments, which make you fly to seventh heaven. I have only heard and read about them.
Comprehending a simple word – ‘happiness’ is quite complex.
One thing I am sure of is that when a long-standing desire gets fulfilled, it is certainly a moment of happiness but it may not lead us to eternal happiness, which lies in our heart, mind and thoughts.
Initial imprints:
I must be in high school when I read ‘The Enchanted Shirt’ by John Hay.
This shirt was recommended for a king who could not get well despite all the medicines, which were prescribed by the royal doctors. The king’s men traveled far and wide to find a ‘happy man’ so that they could borrow his shirt to make their king healthy and happy.
The man who seemed to be happy was requested to give his shirt. The happy man confessed that he didn’t have a shirt!
The depth of the message, which this poem carried didn’t register in my mind at that time but there was something, which percolated deep down, as this poem immediately comes to my mind whenever the word ‘happy’ is mentioned.
“The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring.” – Carl Sandburg
Gauging happiness:
I have tried to scale the boundaries of ‘happiness’ many times from various directions and I have always found great solace in breaking it up into syllables:
H hope (to)
A accomplish
P pervasive
P peace (and)
I incorporate
N necessary
E endeavor (for)
S spontaneous
S serenity
Observations:
I have also tried to observe how happiness visits us uninvited:
A child can find joy in little moments of skipping in water or blowing bubbles.
The ecstatic moments of a lover are in the arms of his beloved.
A mother’s bliss lies in the delightful face and little accomplishments of her child.
A hungry person can find pleasure in simple food.
For a sick person, the charm of getting well and walking again is supreme.
The elderly seek good health and company to be happy.
But these are fleeting moments of joy. Happiness is eternal albeit it is made up of such little moments. They promote wellbeing. They nourish mental health. They keep the hope of brighter days alive.
The definition of happiness is as divergent as that of success.
This is what the experts and the great thinkers say: (an adapted version)
Happiness is perceptive. It is like a cloud that keeps vanishing.
It is determined by our own disposition.
Happiness is harmony with our thoughts…a spiritual journey.
It is breaking the chains of your mind and let it soar.
Happiness is a choice. You have to create your own ways to be happy.
It keeps changing with time and space.
Happiness must be cultivated; chasing it takes us nowhere.
It is a profound feeling of contentment and knowledge that all the blessings of life are around us, only if we can perceive them.
Happiness blossoms in the hearts of those who respect and value relationships.
It could be sitting in your home and you didn’t notice it.
I had written a poem ‘The Valley Of Happiness’ in one of my most intense and gloomy moments. You may like to read it.
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Balroop Singh.
Emotional Shadows 