Our favourite sentence begins with “I will be happy if...” I will be very happy if I could trek the Fuji Mountain or go on a holiday to the Niagara Falls. I really get to go to the Niagara Falls, wear that thin rain coat, travel on a boat near the roaring falls, get wet, click pictures, talk about the experience with friends and return home—money spent, energy spent. Although I found happiness, it lasted just for few minutes.
Whatever is done to a thing, it sooner returns to its natural state. How much ever high you may take water and pour it from a mountain, it will flow down and find its own level.
How much ever low you may place fire, it will always rise up. Even human beings find their own real nature, which is happiness. How can I be sure that I am a happy person? It is only when I can tolerate pain and sorrow beside never stressing when a problem arises. If a person is happy, he can solve any problem very easily.
So, there is a basic ignorance of who really I am. When asked about our name, residence, gender or nationality, we reply promptly. This is because our mind is clear of any doubt in this regard.
However, to the question “Who am I?” we hesitate as there is no clear answer. If we fail to promptly answer this, it becomes difficult to understand the nature of our life, especially if our real nature is one
of happiness. If I know who I am, I do not need to search for happiness.
But still, we search for it. We go to various places to become happy. We wait for the right time or we seek it in new gadgets, cars, clothes or food. We forge new relationships and friendships with an idea that people can make us happy. Sometimes, we learn hard lessons too as the sorrow of that relationship forces us to part ways.
We feel that environments—a cooler or warmer temperature, a better job, a promotion, an outstation assignment or marriage, bachelorhood or being divorced will give us happiness.
We seek happiness by decorating the body, perfuming it, dyeing or colouring the hair, giving our face a lift or providing maximum comforts for the body with an idea of being happy. There have nevertheless been the most sorrowful moments in the most comfortable environments too.
After we tried these ways and found they don’t work, then the question arises, “How can I be happy always?”
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