Celebrations

 What is a celebration? A moment in time that we think is special in some way- a birthday, an anniversary, a new job, start of a new year, and so on.

Pic- On our way to see Orchha sights, from our Riverside Resort. (Betwa river)

But isn't there something good happening every day? For instance, you ate something nice, a kid smiled at you for no reason, or you did something right. Or, your Boss praised you (OK, that's rare, forget that!).

So why don't we cut a cake or eat a poha or a dhokla- what you eat/cut is immaterial here) every day?

Because we feel that we are living a mundane life. The truth is, it's anything but mundane. At least in my experience, there are 5 or 10 things that are unique, happening to us every day. If I try listing some of them, it'll turn into an essay that's too long to read at one sitting. But just an example-

Take an academic setting, from a student's point of view. Meeting your classmates, learning something new from a class (I was going to say Teacher), or a book you found in a library (what's that?) or a conversation with anyone, planning for an event, a case study discussion that surprised you, are just a few things that can happen in a single day. 

So it is with life elsewhere. It throws up surprises, many of them good. So each day might be worth celebrating, barring very few.

Why

Why bad news sells...because people want to explore the limits of their innate goodness

Why Godmen succeed...because we fail to see the God within us, and the Godman knows this too well.

Why economies go through a crisis..because a roller-coaster is more fun than a flat growth of whatever percentage..

Why we make a remake (Zanjeer is the latest)...because it takes too much effort to think of a fresh story.

Why song credits on most TV and radio shows don't include the lyric writer or music director these days..because the anchors think the songs dropped in from heaven or from the lips of movie stars.

Why songs from the sixties or seventies sound better than those from 2013..because they were.

Why do we watch TV, also known as the idiot box? Because we are...yeah, you got it!

Celebrate Every Day

Why do we wait for a festival or an occasion to celebrate? Is every day not good enough for it? Do we need Britannia (a brand it sells) to tell us to have a good day? Why can't we have it anyway?

I am fairly certain, you have something to celebrate on a given day- if you discount going to work, I mean. Even going to work has its celebratory areas- like socialising with a few people, meeting visitors, and getting satisfaction out of doing some good- I am assuming here we don't smuggle anything for a living.

I did research the happiness topic a bit over the years, and I find lots of people are unhappy when they stop working, and many actually die soon after they retire- men, in particular. That may be because work gives them an identity, and because they have never learnt to immerse themselves in other activities, or the community around them.

Anyway, it makes immense sense to celebrate your daughter's little achievement, your parent's good health, or your friend's new dress, or the spouse's cooking, or whatever it is you want to. At the very least, the chirping of the birds, the swaying of the trees in the breeze, and the colours of flowers you see around you- again, I am assuming you don't live in Dubai where there are none.

Try it, and see if it makes a difference. Might just take your mind off both Obama and Romney!