Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Pursuit of happiness

It’s almost too simple to call this a discovery, but I think what every one of us seek in life ultimately, is a simple and sustainable source of happiness. Some may call it “contentment”, others “fulfilment” or even “enlightenment”. Whatever it is called, it has to be simple because happiness by definition is simple - complexity leads to confusion which in turn makes us unhappy. The happiness we feel when we indulge our desires or in power or possessions is difficult to sustain because it is often not the object of our desires that makes us happy but the process of accumulating it. Power and processions have a definite shelf life and their value depreciates over time. They also involve complex economic and political factors that are impossible to manage - let alone be sustained. I say "sustainable" because happiness is not everlasting. Life obviously has its ups and downs and sadness is a necessary contrast that accentuates happiness. A sustainable source of happiness is one that you can rely on - count on - fall back on and depend on.
According to my outlook on life, I feel that the simplest and most sustainable source of happiness is found in people – in the faithfulness and love of family and friends… money and a good career are important as long as they are necessary to support them. But in pursuit of one, it is so easy to loose track of the other, and often I have found that self-sacrifice and service are integral components in the foundation of happiness. It is ironic, but often we find happiness in sacrificing our own happiness for another. I believe that the heart alone can lead us to happiness and for that, we have to be sensitive enough to hear its subtle and silent voice. To betray the heart is to betray all meaning and significance of our very lives. Yet it often takes more courage to heed the silent guiding voice of the heart – without drowning it in desire and clouding it with the opinions and aspirations of others.
I think I will face the test eventually, of balancing my heart’s desires with a sense of duty and responsibility to others whose lives are intimately intertwined with mine. At least I now have the confidence in knowing that I have a rough idea. The highest wish I have for myself and everyone else is that our lives may be filled with moments that make us feel “truly alive” – whether by a sincere smile, a whole-hearted laugh, a tear, a hug, by the sweetness of a kiss or the deep and overwhelming yearning that makes us reach ever further out into this beautiful world and its wonderful inhabitants.

5 comments:

Sachini said...

You say that you will face the test eventually but I think it is a test we face every single day. Most choices we make tend to be about creating a balance between the elements you have mentioned and our decisions turn out bad when we fail to achieve that balance. And there are so many stakeholders which makes it difficult to create a balance that keeps everyone happy.

halwis said...

Sach, welcome!
I understand your point – my mistake was that I wrote it from a very personal perspective – perhaps I should have thought about it more broadly. The reason I said that I will eventually have to face this challenge is because at least I feel a bit isolated in my little corner of the world. I have plenty of friends around me, but most of my emotions, ambitions, expectations and anxieties are invested in people who are on another shore. So I have space to be selfish and displaced from most of life’s different ‘forces’. But I am also paying a high price for it. Also, I define ‘happiness’ in a broad sense… it is a limitation of language that there’s no word to describe the exact type of ‘happiness’ I am talking about… perhaps it’s a broad mix of contentment, satisfaction, self-pride, self-sufficiency, joy… I do not look at it as a ‘balancing’ act however, because my perception of it is more a state of mind and a way of life than anything else…
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts – I appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

"most of my emotions, ambitions, expectations and anxieties are invested in people who are on another shore" - wow...you've put into words exactly what my life is like right now...10,000 miles away is where happiness lies, at least for me. I've just got to spend time in purgatory (so to speak) to earn the right to that happiness. I feel you mate...

halwis said...

n: i suppose you are also living the life of "the international student"?

Anonymous said...

more like "post international student trying to get experience in his field and some money in the bank before going back home for good" :)

been doing it since '99...sigh...2 to three more years...oh well...