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Happiness – a goal or a state?

‘Staying happy’ or ‘moving to a happy state’ are the two states of being. All efforts are directed towards either of these two goals. Aspirations there may be many in our lives but it all leads ultimately to being in a happy zone and if already we are, to continue being in that state. The progress towards clarity and understanding of life came with introspection, deeper introspection.

Much before these questions could cloud the mind, there was a chaos of different kind. Cacophony arising out of worries and fears that were non-existent in hindsight. For most of the early years, there was this state of fearing the worst possible outcome. What-if questions used to stymie the vision.

With introspection came clarity. Clarity that happiness is the answer for all situations in life. It was that state of mind which could resolve any adversity that a person could possibly face. How to achieve this happiness was the next question? Having a sanguine view of thinking only about the positive outcomes when confronted with real-life challenges. Most importantly, the last step in this was to leave the rest to the Almighty and let Him take charge of the situation. These challenges were quite different from the early life 'demons-in-the-mind'. It was easy with the new-found panacea – clichéd as it may sound – having a 'positive outlook' and being happy. Experiments – both mundane and significant – yielded astonishing success. So, happiness is the way, I thought.

As years progressed, these experiments were largely successful. However, that wasn’t helping me to reach the Utopian state of bliss. Where do I find the answer to this question which made my successful formula of happiness look like some puerile theory. The answer came from within again – going further deep in introspection. The outcome of this deeper dive has been phenomenal. Bliss – the ultimate state – arises out of acknowledgement of the situation, then giving it the best to handle the situation and lastly but not the least, leaving it to the Almighty to take care of the rest. The first step of acknowledging the situation was the key to bliss. In denial lied the difference between having a short-lived happiness and bliss. This state of bliss happens to be when there is a complete understanding of what we are undergoing currently, working on it and then surrendering the act of “working on it” as an offering to the Almighty. Although not Utopian, nevertheless it is a much more peaceful state to be in. After all, that's what all the bustle is about, isn't it?


Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

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