HAPPINESS

I was just browsing the newspaper when I came across an advertisement on “Joy of giving week”I was left to wonder that we have become so selfish that a week has to be celebrated to teach us the joy of giving.So my thought process started working this way.I am always confused and frustrated when this question “What is happiness?”arises. Happiness ...everyone answers when asked what they would like in life. Where do we get happiness and when are we happy?.This question really has got a lot of answers.For a kid of 5 years its just a handful of sweets he/she wished ,as simple as that As we grow older our aspiration for things and ambitions grow that we never feel happy ,eventhough we have all the basic comforts. But even with the child after getting the sweets he wanted it starts waning, aspiring for other things .Its simple small things when we are young which grow to bigger things ,ambitions ,as we grow up. Ultimately its attitude,that matters. There used to be a cartoon in which a man goes searching for happiness and finally finds that he cant get it anywhere but within himself. There is a common belief that happiness is something that can be achieved and held on to it. We look forward to that time in which we can finally be happy, but it continually recedes. We want to get to the top of the Wheel of Life and stay there. When in high school, we think, "If I can just graduate then I will be happy." Graduation, however, is not fulfilling, and we decide "If I go to college then life will be better." But a college education does not bring happiness. Maybe it will come upon finding the right job, or getting married, or having children, or retiring. The goal remains elusive. The "happiness that lasts" is never found because it is actually impossible to get happy and stay happy. If life is based on obtaining happiness, then we will always fall short because life is always changing .what we think as happiness today is not happiness after a few days. Its far better to seek joy. Joy is related to happiness but it is a deep impression. For being happy one always is self entered but for joy this self centered feeling is not there. By helping the needy,by bringing joy in the life of a person. It may be nothing,just give water to a person who is thirsty..you can see the smile which immediately lights up your heart. Helping a blind person to cross the road makes you realize how lucky you are and this deed also gives joy which in turn makes you a person useful to society which brings happiness into you.
Joy is an experience which connects us to that which is "Greater" than we are. It connects us to the creative power that is more than the "I" or ego. Joy gets us out of ourselves and in contact with this "Other" and with others. Joy can sustain us throughout the four phases of life. I still don't know if what I think is correct .these are my own conclusions about happiness and joy.

LOST CHILDHOOD

I was watching the kids returning from school and there was so much of fun and frolic when they walked past. Only 10 minutes they were all out of their uniforms and back along with their school bags to coaching classes. I really wonder what there was to teach in kindergarten and primary schools that parents cannot teach. All their play hours grabbed by these tuition classes ,these children return tired .So no play at all. My daughter she had a big group and after school from 4P.M to 6 P.M it was chaos in our streets. At 6 O clock, you can hear the parents shout their kids names and it usually was drowned in the noise these sweety pies made. But now even though kids are there its always empty. Life will be colorless without these sweet angels and naughty imps around,but now its always studies and classes .With generations the play time has become so short and its always computer games these children play..I used to think that even my daughter missed a lot of enjoyments we had in our times. Studies were important but it did not occupy the majority of time. We did have holiday home works ,but we were asked to do in the afternoons when the sun was blazing and our parents did not want us out. Even then we played indoor games ...no computer or television which has now robbed the children of their beautiful playtime .I still remember the days we enjoyed. We use to breed bugs,yes it was small red velvety creatures. I still don't know the name but it was called velvet poochi by us. We had a bigger boy in our class who used to have a big box and was brave enough to catch the bugs from a crouton plant. The bug was ceremoniously fed five times a day. Whoever wanted a bug had to give something to him. I was always given four chocolates to eat at school ,two during interval and two during lunch. But I traded it with the bug. That was easy. Bringing it home and tending it was a difficult part. My mother she never used to scold .She was a soft person who always thought that children are children and they should be allowed to enjoy. When I showed her the bug she was shocked and she tried to convince me that my dad would surely blast me .but I was so adamant and I promised her that I would never take it out when my dad was around. During free hours in the class, we used to have a race with these bugs .Those sweet red velvety creatures would just try to run for their life as soon as we open the box but unfortunately after they reach the finishing point they will be put in the match box .Whoever wins will get the bug which lost. My bug was sluggish like me ,always in dazed state so I stopped racing as I did not want to part with it. Once when I was trying to feed the bugs my dad came up . I tried hiding the box. He asked me to show my hands and I just kept telling that nothing was there. He tried catching hold of my hand and the box fell open and the bugs (two)started running and I fell over it trying to catch,my mom was shocked and she was watching me and my angry father , moving in fours crawling behind the crawling bugs and I won I caught it. He slapped me and asked me to throw it out .I still remember the scene ,I held the bugs in the box close to my heart and started weeping refusing to part with it, my mother trying to cool my dad .It was such a scene that even now it comes in front my eyes. My sister who was just three years old then saw me weeping ,started weeping loudly thus ending the battle. Finally I had to give the bug to my friend to take care of it after school. So morning first job was to get the box from her and talk to my beautiful bug. Still its a mystery how blood oozing from your knuckles can be fun ,we just break the dry neem seed in knuckles,during this process you can see the blood oozing from your knuckles. I can never forget the gooseberries and corn we shared by cutting with half blade. When years passed and when we were in eight standard bugs weren't amusing then it was butterflies,catching caterpillars ,feeding them mulberry leaves,then watching the stages till the new butterfly took to its wings.Ofcourse we had to keep it away from ants and we lost quiet many pupae because of the ants which sent me heart broken .My mother decided to tell a strict No after seeing the way I wept for the loss of fireflies,bugs and butterflies........
Coming back to present ,I feel these little angels are missing so much of fun. I don't know why these parents never think, fresh air and playing together too teaches them a lot in life .I just feel sad for them that the beautiful part of childhood is passed without any entertainment.