Loving the giving
Few things beat the joy of giving, as one reader is explicitly aware.
HAPPINESS is a lot of things to many people. To some, it is gaining wealth, achieving success or fame, and having a devoted family or a beautiful home.
Every day, we need to seek happiness in our own way. We have to pursue happiness, seize it and keep it before it eludes us like a butterfly. Happiness does not just drop out of heaven or comes when we need it. We must strive to find it and enjoy it while it lasts.
Every morning, the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves and the noise of running water in a stream, brings me happiness. I thank God my senses are still alive to enjoy the beauty of his creations.
Some of my neighbours enjoy walking and talking to their dogs. In the market, I see many housewives chatting happily while enjoying their breakfast. Thus, happiness can be pursued in countless ways.
We should choose to be happy because life is short and fragile.
Firstly, we must practise the art of living. This means, we must learn to enjoy our work, our rest and our play. When we enjoy our work, we have a passion for what we do. We put our heart, soul and mind into it. It gives us tremendous job satisfaction, especially when we put in our utmost and fight against all odds.
Rest and play are equally important because they enable us to cope with the stress and strain of daily living and the demands of our careers. If we work all the time like a clockwork mouse, life becomes a drag.
We will feel dreary and jaded. Inevitably, our productivity goes downhill. Look at people who work every day with no time to rest. They walk around with frowns on their faces. They do not display any joy in living.
Happiness is also contentment. Ultimately, we have to be satisfied with what we have. I believe it is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy what we have. That is the key to happiness. It is a universal truth.
People are willing to leave their homeland or a modern city to do what makes them happy. Once, when in Melbourne, I met a man named Thomas who migrated to Australia, because he did not like the hectic life in England. He said he liked the space which Australia offers him.
If you go to Huang Shan or the Yellow Mountains, you will find a solitary figure who lives up there. His job is to take care of the pine trees which grow on these majestic granite mountains. He is happy and proud of his job. All over the world, you will find people engaged in strange occupations which they enjoy.
Learning to count our blessings, like good health, a loving family, a good job and caring friends is an effective way to derive contentment from the things money cannot buy. Yet they are such important sources of happiness in life.
It is equally true that when we do not have what we like, we have to like what we have. Otherwise we will always wallow in self-pity, and become cynical and bitter about life. Having a positive outlook and healthy mind set also constitutes a vital part of happiness.
My first teaching post was Bruas in Perak. It is a cowboy town tucked away in a farflung corner in the middle of nowhere. I had to adapt to this “dead” place. Gradually, I learnt to like the leisurely pace, the peace and quiet of the place and the friendliness of the residents.
Another great secret of happiness is to be on good terms with oneself. This is very true. If you do not like yourself, how can you like others? In order to like yourself, you have to know yourself first. You should know your own strengths and weaknesses. Then, develop your positive qualities, and work to overcome your shortcomings. Everyone will see a change in you and you will like yourself better, too.
When I was in primary school, my favourite teacher wrote this profound truth in my autograph booklet. “There is no perfect peace of mind, (but) in self-forgetfulness, (and) in love for others, you will find, the truest happiness.” This is not an easy truth to grasp for an 11-year old. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what this precious truth meant.
Now, I fully fathom the truth of this statement. It is in the giving of ourselves and sacrificing our time and energy to bless others, that we achieve true happiness. Strive to be happy and make the world a happier place.