I came home early today as a precautionary measure in view of my poor health of late. Noreen was kind enough to accompany me to buy some take-home beriani, which I consumed while watching the news.
There was nothing spectacularly wonderful or depressing about today. As usual, somewhere in the world, people are fighting, and people are being killed. As I am easily distressed by troubling world affairs, especially in cases where I am sure to suffer from a feeling of helplessness, ignorance is bliss. But after being blockaded from the truth for a couple of days at least, I found myself pulled to the affairs of the day.
Today's headlines:
Bomb blast in UN office in Iraq.
Bomb blast in Jerusalem, grinding Middle-East peace process to a halt.
In view of all these things that happen in the world, my own little meagre existence seems so much more insignificant, my problems even more microscopic. But despite the differences of our circumstances, one thing we all have in common: We live our lives, we look for happiness, and hope that we find it.
Happiness. Pak Adib mentioned in a comment to one of my entries about Journeys:
"In fact, life is a journey.As far as this physical world is concerned,it is indeed very short. Many find a lot of unhappiness because they do not know where they really wanted to go.They do not know what they want. How could we find anything we don't even know what it looks like?An example is happiness( al-sa'adah in Arabic)."
For me, I see happiness as a metaphysical place - not an object, not a set of accomplishments, but a state of mind and spirit. It takes the right combination of circumstances and awareness that allows us to 'see' happiness enough to want to seek it, or at least head in the general vicinity.
Living in a world cluttered with 'noise' of sorts - information charging at us from every possible direction, it is understandable that our generation sees happiness less and less. Some turn to icons that embody what they 'think' happiness should be. Some turn to religion and faith - an inner peace that allows one to be at one with the world and its Maker. And then there are some who shuffle back and forth, following every urge that seems to have a whimper of the existence of this ultimate state.
One bonus for those who believe in the Hereafter - whatever life throws at you now, for as long as you keep the faith and live by what you believe is good, you are at peace with the fact that one day, you will be rewarded. Easier said than done though.
But even then, all this is small comfort when it takes all the energy you have to wake up and face the next day.
Side note:
1. When I have difficult questions, one of the things I look to for visual jump points for my thoughts.
2. "How Life Really Works: Happiness in an Unhappy World" - One man's search.
Yeah I love the Benetton ads too :)
Heartwarming.
But, happines like you said is truly a state of mind and it should be realised that we are the only people that can attain happiness for ourselves.
To acheive that state of mind we have to first realise happiness depends on us and how we want to feel everyday, although sometimes its very easy to be affected by our various environments.
It's a choice I guess.
IMHO.
Posted by: meesh at 2003年08月20日 20:29Naj, I spent a greater portion of my earlier work life searching for that initial "icon" and its promise for gratification. It took a greater deal of 11 years of my life.
People always say, if I had money I would buy this and buy that, what happens when you already have the money and you have already about everything you wanted. What then?
Although I agree happiness is a state fo mind, I personally believe it is more a state of being. It should be a combination of both the search for the icon and the faith. Else there exist little balance.
Posted by: fische at 2003年08月21日 00:48We search the world for happiness, yet it lies in each of us and there is where we need to search most thoroughly. Happiness is being content with yourself at a given time, wether it be a struggle or a victory. There is always time for happiness because life surrounds us with reasons to be happy even in our darkest hours...
Posted by: karl at 2003年10月30日 08:42