The mere sense of living is joy enough. Emily Dickinson
Life is full of ups and downs and that is what makes every emotion full of intensity and passion. Unfortunately the normal human mind seeks to remain in a state of bliss and happiness and hence any negative emotion is viewed suspiciously and with scorn and disdain. While most times life is full of laughter, joy and ecstasy it is those moments of pain, fear and terror that puncture the tranquility and shatter the peace of mind of the average person. It is when these negative moments persist as it will when we are suffering from a debilitating disease or painful experience of losing a young loved one in a tragedy that we question the rationale of our very existence.
What one really needs to focus on is the privileges and graces that one is blessed with despite the presence of setbacks and problems that confront us. Life is a gift that we are blessed with and since that is the exclusive domain of a higher power, we need to be grateful for being chosen to be a symbol of that power. Regrettably many of us take life for granted and instead keep complaining that life has been unfair to us, that life is littered with issues big and small and that in any case in the long run we are all dead. It is this defeatist attitude, sense of hopelessness and surrender to negativity that pitchforks our life into a cauldron of self pity and sadness.
Imagine the frustration of a person who has a specific allergy let us say to eggs in any form. He/ she cannot eat egg for sure but is denied the simple pleasure of eating anything that remotely contains egg as an ingredient and this could include cakes of most types, puddings etc. It might be a minor allergy but its ramifications to the affected are very serious and so it can make that person very bitter. Can such a person go around wailing and cursing his fate? If the idea is too farfetched you are right. So let us scale up troubles and take the case of a very healthy and athletic person suddenly suffering a stroke and being paralyzed in the prime of his/ her youth. Maybe they have more claim to living a life of misery and despondency. Yet very rarely do you come across people who suffer such problems giving up on life and attempting suicide. They have learnt to love life intensely.
Then what explains the suicide attempts of so many people who apparently led good and successful lives before they succumbed to the pressures of life? When one is used to a life of always getting ones way the unexpected setbacks and failure trigger a panic reaction and the mind conjures diabolical scenarios that eventually lead to people taking the extreme step. The problem is therefore one of focusing on the self and the accompanying invincibility that we falsely assume about ourselves when the going is good. On the other hand if just learnt to appreciate the wonders that life has offered us be it in terms of a loving and sheltered family life, the privileges of a good upbringing, economic and financial security and the simple joy of waking up every morning we would look forward to each day with greater enthusiasm and hope.
Remember: “Joy is not in things; it is in us” Richard Wagn
Try this:
- Make a list of things that make you happy. The list must have at least 10 items and can be as long as you want it. Examine how often you are privileged to enjoy what is on your list.
- Every day find a way to make a stranger happy. Just doling out alms to a beggar is not considered one of the ways. Taking time out and actually spending time with the specific objective of sharing joy among people is to be considered a special bonus in your life.
This post is courtesy www.actspot.com
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