Investing in your happiness plan
Iwill never forget my class 8 teacher who once told me happiness is like faith – either you have it or you don't. If you have it then treat it like a priceless treasure and share it generously; if you don't, then spend your life seeking it.
It is a simple truism that I might've never really understood at the time but it has always stood by me, especially when I have found myself on the crossroads of defining what is important in life.
But whatever little I have understood from the various discourses and literature over the years, happiness is like La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the church that has been under construction since its inception more than a century ago – work in progress with no end in sight.
In both these viewpoints, what is common is the fact that happiness comes across as very insular. A project or a purpose defined by self. I guess that too is true. For, aren't we told all the time that we are solely responsible for the way we feel? Masters of our own universe? And any external factors – people or situations
– should not be able to penetrate this citadel and make it brittle.
In an ideal world, this might be true. But in the real world, our relationships are like fragile threads that come together in a weave we call life. The more close-knit the relationship, the stronger and happier the fabric. It is this unknown that most often defines our happiness.
In the feature on page 16, while emphasising on the importance of family and
Whatever little I have understood from the various discourses and literature over the years, happiness is like La Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona ..., work in progress with no end in sight.
friendship – key aspects of happiness pension plan – author Arthur C Brooks advises the need to start making deposits in these relationships early on in life just so that you can reap benefits in your sunset years.
Great advice, no doubt. But does our future self know exactly who and what holds the key to our happiness?
Let me know what you think.