In this article, we are going to evaluate our concept of happiness. This is applicable to all of us, because we all want to be happy, right?
Even animals and plants want to be happy. We can see this if we observe them closely. We can even sense that they also want to be happy.
So, how can we be really happy? Which things will make us really happy?
We may think that accumulating more things will make us happy. This means that having many things would make us very happy, and having nothing would make us completely unhappy.
Yet, this is not the reality.
The author used to be a banker, earned a decent salary, and had many things that he thought will make him happy. There was a car, an apartment filled with stuff, gadgets, relationships, and more. Yet, the author was far from being really happy.
A few years later, the author was walking through an open piece of field in India. At that specific time, the author's life changed quite a bit. Walking there, these thoughts appeared:
"I don't have a car or an apartment. I do not even have a job, and I barely have any money. I have nothing. I have nothing!"
Surprisingly, the author burst out in laughter! Never in his life, has he felt so 'light', so peaceful, so free. Right there and then, it became clear that no object in the world could ever make one happy.
What is worth considering, is that we do not try to look for happiness in objects, in relationships, in stuff. That we do not look for happiness outside of ourselves.
In fact, we realize that without anything, we can be perfectly happy and peaceful.
Let's consider deep sleep. In deep sleep, we have no stuff. We do not even claim the idea that the body is ours, nor does the "I-thought" arise. Without any possessions or objects to claim, there is an absence of unhappiness and misery.
Thus, it is evident that real happiness lies within.
Happiness is inherently ours.
Related articles on this blog:
We are already free - 19 July 2021
Wanting happiness - 10 November 2021
Becoming and attaining - 18 November 2021
Even animals and plants want to be happy. We can see this if we observe them closely. We can even sense that they also want to be happy.
So, how can we be really happy? Which things will make us really happy?
We may think that accumulating more things will make us happy. This means that having many things would make us very happy, and having nothing would make us completely unhappy.
Yet, this is not the reality.
Laughing out loud
The author wants to briefly share an experience that relates to this topic.The author used to be a banker, earned a decent salary, and had many things that he thought will make him happy. There was a car, an apartment filled with stuff, gadgets, relationships, and more. Yet, the author was far from being really happy.
A few years later, the author was walking through an open piece of field in India. At that specific time, the author's life changed quite a bit. Walking there, these thoughts appeared:
"I don't have a car or an apartment. I do not even have a job, and I barely have any money. I have nothing. I have nothing!"
Surprisingly, the author burst out in laughter! Never in his life, has he felt so 'light', so peaceful, so free. Right there and then, it became clear that no object in the world could ever make one happy.
Happiness within
It is not recommended that we suddenly stop having possessions, renounce our lives and go live in a cave. This is not needed.What is worth considering, is that we do not try to look for happiness in objects, in relationships, in stuff. That we do not look for happiness outside of ourselves.
In fact, we realize that without anything, we can be perfectly happy and peaceful.
Let's consider deep sleep. In deep sleep, we have no stuff. We do not even claim the idea that the body is ours, nor does the "I-thought" arise. Without any possessions or objects to claim, there is an absence of unhappiness and misery.
Thus, it is evident that real happiness lies within.
Happiness is inherently ours.
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| Walking in these open fields, we sense the vast, openness of our Being. |
Related articles on this blog:
We are already free - 19 July 2021
Wanting happiness - 10 November 2021
Becoming and attaining - 18 November 2021
So true and so relatable! 👍🕉️
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