I had a happy childhood. As a youth and a young startup in the professional life, I was given into whatever life had to offer and my being was in a continuous state of bliss. Was I missing anything? No, none at all! I guess you are getting a picture of an indolently happy person, selfish and self centered. Yes, it was true in a way, how then, do you expect this person to opine a diametrically opposite view on Happiness. Let me lead you to this change.
Happiness I perceived in a singular way, I, me and myself. Pursuing professional success for a greater happiness, I realized, did not exactly make me comfortable as I was visualizing success as a sole venture, but a professional setup akin to the social structure has too many minds at play, each in pursuit of its own agenda and a scale of happiness strangely different, albeit from similar origins. My idea of happiness seemed to alter and shift gears and focus each time I was involved with changing personalities. It was tiring and made me quite disturbed with the plethora of situations I had to deal with in my understood sense of happiness. Happiness, my longing was somehow missing its beat and a sense of strangeness enveloped my ideology. A smallness in me set in with each passing day. What and why seemed my soul mates.
Where was my initial and much known ‘feeling’ of Happiness? Had it been lost in the labyrinths of professional and social structure or was it my sense of Happiness in singularity obscured in the multitude of the society. Was I alone in this state or was this the dawning of a new reality? A reality in personnel dynamics! In earnestness and with faith in the axiom ‘A seeker will be rewarded’, I set search for the now elusive Happiness.
My search led me to various aspects of personnel dynamics each leading to one common point and that was, life in duality, one dealing with I, me and myself and the other a step outside my personal confines, the ever changing and pulsating world encompassing everyone. The micro and the macro levels of life revealed that nothing grows in isolation and our own identity was in the multitude to be Happy.
Personal agendas in all its diversity still has its links to a common desire, a desire to be Happy and contented. Exploring personal agendas revealed that my search and desire was in aiding others to succeed as well as gain much needed support for my growth and Happiness. Happiness, I now realized is an ethereal aspect of our own longings expressed in various ways.
A symmetry in reason and thought process seems to fundamentally envelope our co-existence in the social and professional tapestry of our lives. The picture does not form in the absence of either you or me and all and sundry. Much similar to the various planetary orbits that make up our skies, we too have to seek and form our own circle with various interloping circles from all in the same social structure. Most importantly is the reality that if any our circles do become askew, we are then in a stressed up situation evoking no feeling of Happiness. While assisting and correcting the skews in my or the others circles around me I found that my own circle of Happiness starting to radiate. With my personal agenda to improve my own level of Happiness in focus, I dwelt deeply on seeking the others agenda for contentment and realized that I was able to get the much needed support to enhance my personal and professional life and the resulting sense of Happiness.
Eureka! Was my impression, I had at last found a purpose and the elusive Happiness, whilst putting others personal agenda in front of my own expectation. Not only was I able to better understand what made them click, but also made me a better person. Everyone found me to be friendly and good natured. Yes, this is true, and this level brought with it a much needed respite from the normal hectic professional and personal lifestyle I wanted to lead with assured support and guidance from the many around me.
We are all born imperfect and in this imperfection, we had to seek perfection with inputs from others and the sum total result would always be perfect. Any company or society acquires perfection from the various hues contributed by all and sundry orbiting that plane and real Happiness is not in a mono color but develops clarity and colorfulness in the multitude of hues that make up the feeling of total Happiness. From being a selfish, self-centered individual, I shared my knowledge and resources and in return I was rewarded with multifarious aspects, aspects both materialistic and holistic. I had grown in stature and maturity. The main changes I reckoned which would make my sense of Happiness a permanent part of me were,
Only if I…
* Could accept the fragility of my existence
* Am prepared to see the reality of life
* Can understand that I am the true meaning of my life and yours too
* Can stake claim to my responsibilities
* Can be honest to myself
* Am willing to extend support to the next who is weak
* Will look at life as a part of the society I live in
* Accept that there is some meaning for which I am born to
* Will let go of self pity
* Will let go of my ego
* Will accept the laws of nature
* Will accept that there is no perfection in anything and anyone
* Will accept the stumbles of life and still stand up
* Will love others as I wish others to love me
* …………
Dear reader, you may ask and even doubt your own ability in the aspect of assisting others for a complete level of Happiness, but you must remember that you play an important role in substantiating the perfect society you live in and your contribution even if it is a speck will lend the true color to the ultimate society and your Happiness. Happiness, I had initially felt was due to materialistic gains I had made, but the deeper sense of Happiness I acquired was in amongst the multitude of people who made my world. Dwell deeply for a moment and ask yourself if you are complete without the others in your life and you will get the answer in a negative. Be open, friendly and have a sense of purpose and I am sure you will agree that Your Happiness lies in Others Happiness.
I now firmly believe that In Your Happiness Lies My Happiness. I am Happy because you are Happy. Be Happy, my friend, for I wish you well and may the Sun always ever shine brightly on you.
by Sushil Baboo
sushil.baboo#yahoo.com (replace # with @)