I've been mulling over the answer to this question for a while. We all want to be happy; who doesn't? But how do we get there?
That's the question.
On the face of it there's nothing that some of us don't have. A loving, supportive family, comfortable and spacious homes, money for a decent life, good education, stable job.. But more often than not we're sad, tensed, angry, depressed. Anything BUT happy. Why? What is missing?
The point remains that if I knew the answer to this question, I wouldn't be writing this post in the first place! Nevertheless, it's worth a shot.
There can be a lot of perspectives to this, so I'm going to express just one. In our quest to be responsible adults, we plan for a secure future. Hence the hefty property loan of 20 years - to buy that 3 BHK which will come up in 2014; the arranged marriage with a "good" boy or girl at the "right" age, "good" and "right" as defined by parents and society - to live happily with a companion in old age; the saving up by not going on holidays abroad - so that the VW Passat can sit in your garage in one year instead of never. And so on and so forth.
Noble endeavours, all of them. We're like the hardworking chipmunk who always saved acorns for the winter ahead. While the grasshopper who just had fun in summer and didn't think beyond today starved in winter. But what about today? What about being happy in this moment? Right now? Isn't that important?
I have an insight on what makes people happy. And it's no ground breaking or earth shattering funda. Far from it. I believe the deepest and most fulfilling happiness comes from the smallest of things. The unexpected hug from a cute kid. A gtalk buzz from an old friend. The smile from the commuter sitting opposite you in the bus. A word of appreciation on how good you're looking today from a colleague. A drop of rain to ease away the sweltering heat. A shared joke over chai break with friends. Hearing a long lost favourite song on radio while driving to work. How much time do we give in our day to allow for such experiences to reach us? How many times have we foregone happiness in the present for a future, uncertain happiness? There is nothing certain about the future. Nothing is certain, except the moment right now. If you're happy now, you will be happy in future.