FINDING HAPPINESS

While I am very tempted to write the Editor’s Letter on Mother’s Day, which falls on March 21 in the UAE, I am not going to cave in to the temptation. My excuse? Enough has been written about the most important person in our lives and my 300-odd words can’t do justice to her importance. So, I am going to write about happiness instead.

Well, I know my 300-odd words would again not be enough, but since International Day of Happiness is in five days from now and Chris Gardner, the author of The Pursuit of Happyness, was in town recently for the Emirates Literature Festival (read an exclusive interview with him on page 46), I feel compelled to.

I know a lot has been written about happiness as well, probably much more than about motherhood, but I feel I need to say my share too.

After having read the interview with Chris, I feel happiness can never be the goal, even though the title of his autobiography says otherwise. Happiness I believe is a by-product – the result of our accomplishments and achievements, the subtext of our life’s story.

While many believe happiness is the pot of gold that lies at the end of our individual rainbows – a goal we hope to reach after a baptism of fire – I believe it lies in the courage that sees us through those hard times; it lies in the deep sense of gratitude we have for all that we have gained over time and all that we are blessed with.

Those who believe in ikigai would agree with what I say. To expand on the term, ikigai is the Japanese word that propounds that happiness is a sum of our passion and our purpose; it is the sense of sustained joy that stems from finding a balance between all that is important to us – stressful work and demanding relationships included.

As I come to the end of my 300-odd words on happiness, I believe we need to pursue a sense of accomplishment. Happiness, I feel, will follow.

I believe happiness lies in the courage that sees us through hard times; it lies in the deep sense of gratitude we have gained and are blessed with