Finding Happiness

Hindu life is ultimately the pursuit of happiness. The teachers, or Gurus of Hindu thought, believe that the pursuit of happiness is the seeking of self. Once you find self, you become enlightened. Finding ‘self’ is absolute happiness.

Personally, I have no desire to reach absolute truth. I kinda’ like having the capacity to feel and to desire. I like being passionate and loving and scared and desirous. I love adventure and mystery and activity. I also like calm and peacefulness, but certainly not at the expense of feeling the joys and miseries of life.

In my western way of thinking, I, too, believe that in our lives we all strive to be happy. In my experience many people think that the acquisition of money leads to happiness. Many westerners pursue professional success, which gets translated to becoming rich in material wealth.

That’s an interesting concept! My father (bless his soul) worked very hard in his life. He wanted to be able to satisfy all of us with things. He strived to provide, and, in so doing, worked way more hours than he should have, to satisfy the material needs of his family. He died completely unsatisfied, even though he had a beautiful home and many luxuries that could have satisfied most of the population living in various parts of the world. And, my father never really was happy! It was never enough! He always wanted more. I know many people who live like this today.

For me there is a relationship between loving your work and loving life. Most of the people I know who love what they do, are not miserable in their work. But they are miserable in their desires. Many of them want to have time to travel. Several want to go back to school and learn. I have many friends who want to ‘have the time’ to work out, or read good books, or spend quality time with family and/or friends. Work, and the stresses that come with work often get in the way. Life becomes all about the work we do.

People in the west are beginning to realize the need for balance. Many are changing the way they think about money. Having less ‘things’ requires a lessening of the desire for things. More young people seek a compromise between working and play. I notice that with several of my own children. There’s still a strong work ethic, wanting to ‘give back’ to the world. And, I’m noticing, there’s also a desire to explore and develop other things in life.

In India, I am finding contentment in the ‘nothingness’ of being. I tune in more to the sounds and sights around me. It is easier to connect with others and I find joy in the simple existence that I experience. The constant cawing of the crows, the regular honking of car horns, the shrill voices of the vendors on the streets become musical, and I experience a deeper clarity to the visual stimulus around me. I notice the beauty of nature and am settled with the idea of not pushing. I continue to share my essence with the simple interactions that unfold. I am still working and writing and learning. Here, in India the balance is acceptable. There is no expectation for more. I like it!

I am aware that my stage of life affords me the ability and capacity to broaden my outlook. I am working less and being more focussed in my work. I am expanding my skills and learning about other things. I’m travelling and meeting new people who enrich my life. I often think about how I could have done that while I was invested in career and child rearing. I think young people today are more aware. “We are merely visitors in this universe”, says one of my teachers. Finding happiness, experiencing self, can happen in so many different and beautiful ways!