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Happiness. When I speak this word out of my mouth, it makes a sound. This word is actually a sound. H-a-p-p-i-n-e-s-s.
Now I have been hearing since my childhood this word called ‘Happiness’. When I was a kid If I got something which I wanted then a sensation occurred inside me which people around me told me to call it as ‘happiness’. If they didn’t tell me directly, then maybe I learned it from somewhere that this specific sensation inside me is ‘Happiness’. Looking in the dictionary for its meaning I found: State of being happy, State of contentment. Good! But really? Is it my state of contentment?
Contentment is something like a state of satisfaction. Good! But really? Am I contented when I am satisfied? Maybe or maybe not! So, my next question is when do I get satisfied or contented? Well, I get satisfied when I ‘get’ what I want. So what really do I want? If I make a list of things I want, then it might go on and on. Material things, lots of useless stuff too will be included in the list! But if I think honestly, then not everything is required for my satisfaction. Isn’t it? What if the things I have on my list are the ones which people around me wanted me to have? I require the things available in the market because the advertisers want me to have their product! Isn’t it? Do I really need all of those things?
Cutting the story short, if I cut down the list to some basic requirement on a day-to-day basis then? Thing’s which come in my mind are: Food, Shelter, and Clothing! Other than that if I require anything else than maybe it would be people wanting me to have that thing or else my unconscious desires. I am not at all disregarding the need of some electronic devices for personal daily use and that stuff. No. Not at all. But really if I want only some basic stuff for my day to day living then it would satisfy me. Is it? Is this the case? It seems.
Coming back to happiness. If I get my basic necessities then I might become happy. But really If I have the things which I want and I already have them then would it matter if I am happy or not? In the end, the culture, the conditioning, people around us and everything around us has implanted in our mind that ‘The sensation which occurs in the human body is defined as happiness’. But what if I don’t define and translate that sensation at all?
‘ Happiness’ is only a sound made by our vocal cord in our body. But as we have been studying the language (any language) we have been attaching meaning to that sound or word (happiness in this case). Thus we point to the sensation inside us, what we have pre-decided to call ‘happiness’. Until this day we have been conditioned into thinking and believing that outer situation, thing or event can only bring forth happiness in our lives.
What I think is that happiness is a state which can be evoked without outer situation, events or circumstances. How? Well, try that out. Set yourself a goal to remain ‘happy’ i.e. ‘content’ or ‘satisfied’ despite whatever the outer conditions, maybe. Is it easy? I bet not, but it is worth trying. Try it for an hour or so.
Don’t worry and be happy!
