Having lived a
reasonably contented life, I was musing over what a person should strive for to
achieve happiness. I drew up a list of a few essentials which I put forward for
the readers' appraisal.
1. First and
foremost is GOOD
HEALTH. If you do not
enjoy good health you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial, will
deduct from your happiness.
2. Second,
A HEALTHY BANK BALANCE. It need not run into crores but
should be enough to provide for creature comforts and something to spare for
recreation, like eating out, going to the pictures, travelling or going on
holidays on the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be only demoralizing.
Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in one's own eyes.
3. Third,
A HOME OF YOUR OWN. Rented premises can never give you
the snug feeling of a nest which is yours for keeps that a home provides: if it
has a garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers, see them
grow and blossom, cultivate a sense of kinship with them.
4. Fourth,
AN UNDERSTANDING COMPANION, be it your spouse or a friend. If
there are too many misunderstandings, they will rob you of your peace of mind.
It is better to be divorced than to bicker all the time.
5. Fifth,
LACK OF ENVY towards those who have done better
than you in life; risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can
be very corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others.
6. Sixth,
DO NOT ALLOW OTHER
PEOPLE to descend on you
for gup-shup. By the time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and
poisoned by their gossip-mongering.
7. Seventh,
CULTIVATE SOME
HOBBIES which can bring
you a sense of fulfilment, such as gardening, reading, writing, painting,
playing or listening to music. Going to clubs or parties to get free drinks or
to meet celebrities is criminal waste of time.
8. Eighth,
every morning and evening, devote 15 minutes to INTROSPECTION. In the morning, 10 minutes should be
spent on stilling the mind and then five in listing things you have to do that
day. In the evening, five minutes to still the mind again, and ten to go over
what you had undertaken to do.
RICHNESS is not
Earning More, Spending More Or Saving More, but ...
"RICHNESS IS
WHEN YOU NEED NO MORE"
