If you have ever passed by a slum, you may have spotted happy kids, or even adults. I see happy people almost anywhere, on the streets, even the homeless, or extremely non-well to do people. So it should be obvious that happiness has little to do with material possessions, or your bank balance. It is possible to be happy, anytime, any place.
So why aren't we? Having aspirations is a good thing, it motivates you to do something. But if one can aspire without jealousy, it may be a happier state. You want to better yourself or your condition, but not compare with others while doing so. Unfortunately parents and teachers are always comparing. This can only lead to a false sense of superiority in some, and inferiority in others.
I am afraid marketers are to be blamed too. The ads are also trying to give you quick-fixes to (mostly) non-existent problems. Deos, Face-washes and Fairness creams (or whatever they are now called). And many more categories of products. They are not-so-subtly telling you that you are not good enough (except Preity Zinta's husband, nobody is!). That if you buy me, you'll be OK. A recipe for unhappiness.
Since learning to ignore wrong advice from parents, teachers and ads is tough, most of us remain unhappy most of the time.
2 comments:
not everything you see in passing is real. Some of those slum dwellers appear happy because ignorance is bliss.. lack of knowledge of the outside world can lead to diminished aspiration to begin with;
then there are a lot of them that are on some chemically induced high which also leads to perceived state of happiness - whether beneficial overall to larger society is debatable because these people tend to keep chasing the next high and are responsible for violent behavior in some form.
Some are genuinely happy, research seems to indicate, if not all. To explain it may be tough for those who haven't been there. And Celebs are as much into drugs, etc., in spite of having a lot..
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