happiness Archives - EKAANTANANDA

Life is short , live your dreams..

Chase your happiness, you deserve it ..

Let the World preach , Its my Life ! ..

Why so serious ?

This is what they tell me. This has given me that sense of self worth. These daily quotes give me that daily push. These ads. I love them. They care so much for my happiness. Whatever my mind says, they deliver . I feel like the center of the Universe. I walk on this planet like a King. All its resources and beings -living or non living are tools to further my existence. My life has only one rule , one ethic- The Pursuit Of Happiness. My freedom , my rights are paramount. I am the worthiest. This is what “they” say , they can’t lie. My sensory sojourns are taken care of by them . I am full. Never deprived.

I know my time is limited. I will ensure I “use” and consume it fully. Whatever I need , is up there in that catalogue. Everything from the tiniest atom to the loftiest visible object , all exist to make my life better here. I am worthy. They keep telling me .

One thing haunts me though. Why do I become serious sometimes? When it comes to those unpleasant times? Why can’t I be nonchalant then too? What is that I fear losing in those times? If life is a joke, why can’t I laugh at my miseries? Why don’t those ads seem pleasant during those times? They say all I need is a lot of stuff. I have it. And “they” are always there to load me with more stuff and “happiness”. But why do I get serious when things don’t go my way?

They tell me that there have been some extraordinary non-serious people like Guru Nanak, Kabir Das, and Meera Bai. They tell me that the more they lost, the happier they became. The more they gave, the fuller they felt. What was that brand of non-seriousness? Why don’t they show it in the ads? Weren’t those people advised by their minds and adversities to “go for it” and “get” what they deserved and wanted?

white birds flying — (Photo by Hakan Tahmaz on Pexels.com)

Probably they did what they wanted, just as I am doing. But they were not serious. Even I am not. It’s just that I get ruffled easily and “they” rush to make me OK again. But I do suffer. Those non serious people soared over the sea of suffering. I would love to soar too, learn their brand of non-seriousness someday and embrace their carefree mode of existing.

Even as these questions arise , I can see that “they” are coming. They tell me that the World’s economy runs on my happiness. They can go to any extent to cheer me up. They are always working on that. They have toys for every occasion. Whenever I become serious or turn inward, they present a new toy which keeps me sane and practical. They tell me real detachment is about staying away from those tough questions which pop up when suffering strikes.

Those fakirs must have been really weird people. Who can stay in joy just like that ? Without any help from “them” ? Their non seriousness must be a myth. Mine is real. The purpose of Life is to chill. Time to see my therapist and then I am off for shopping. I can’t stay serious for long.

Why should you smile for the photographer? Or why should you consciously smile at all? What is this tradition of showing your teeth or twisting your lips for the world?

Shouldn’t your inner self gleam through unfiltered? As it is? What is this “fool yourself and the world” madness? A game where both the observer and the observed are fooling each other?

False display of happiness cannot ever substitute for true inner peace and contentment. I do not know about the origins of laughing Buddha, but any image of the “enlightened one” that comes to mind shows him half smiling, tranquil, and at peace with himself. Sri Rama has always been depicted as emotionally stable, balanced, and radiant. Maybe this trend of smiling for the camera is a very recent phenomenon.

A smile is a natural gesture, a sentiment ( bhava ). The face radiates what lies within unless one tries to radiate what others want to see. Most of our words and actions have an artificial touch of conformity and are tuned for social acceptance. Now when even the facial expressions become a victim of this madness not much “naturalness” is left.

The glorious man-made era of selfies and pouts has rendered that natural pose and poise redundant. The more you twist your lips and distort your face, the better your camera appeal.

Well, it entirely depends on you as to what you do with your face in this “my choice” era. I am a bit outdated though and find it tough to mold my expression as per external diktats. Why can’t the camera capture “what is “? Let it capture those dry, dull, depressed faces. Let it learn to capture those natural expressions once again. Let your style quotient go to hell and you be captured with your innocence or beastly self, whatever it is. Let you allow the camera to capture the real “YOU”. Why should an entire generation and population be caught with the same expression? The world indeed becomes boring this way.

Why should the so-called influencers and celebrities be allowed to project heavenly sides of their lives and sway the youth with falsity?

Just as mega/Giga/Tera/peta pixel cameras will come and go and become redundant, the nonsense they have led to will also die a slow death. The era of bland, “expressionless” pics will be back again. The child will smile and laugh, irrespective of someone capturing him or not. You will become a child again. The flower will become a flower again, irrespective of its color, season, or attraction.