Friday, April 30, 2010

Being Happy


"The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness" - Author Eric Hoffer.

I wholeheartedly agree. In these times, people are so caught up in learning about the science of happiness, that they forget to practice it. Everyone's attending motivational classes, reading inspirational books, consulting shrinks and trying too hard to learn....exactly what? A protocol for attaining happiness? Mix one teaspoon of "positive thinking" with two tablespoons of "smile at least twice a day" and then add a pinch of "your love"..and VOILA...you have got it! Really?

I think, life is way more simpler than that, if you just take it as comes. Not over think or over analyze it. Just do your job, as Lord Krishna has so beautifully said in the Gita "Karm kar, phal ki chinta nahin" (Do your work, without worrying about the outcome). And the older generation is a testament to this theory. They didn't need any of the "help" tools that we use today. They just carried on with their day-to-day duties without constantly thinking about "What steps should I take to attain happiness?". Whatever the circumstances, good or bad, we just need to carry on. Keep working at it. Of course, we can aim toward self-improvement and betterment, but why sweat over it all the time. Just live in the moment!

PS: I am not against people seeking help to be happier. I am sure some people need assistance. I just think it has become a trend and people get lost in the means without ever achieving the end.

Monday, April 26, 2010

The Great Stories

Passage from "God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy:

"The secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones that you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably. They don't deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don't surprise you with the unforeseen. They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lover's skin. You know how they end, yet you listen as though you don't. In the way that although you know that one day you will die, you will live as though you won't. In the Great Stories you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn't. And yet you want to know again. That is their mystery and their magic."

This is so true and beautifully written.