On glancing the morning newspaper, one article struck me. It said that according to a recent survey, Indians were one of the unhappiest people in the world. Not that I follow such surveys regularly, but still I set out to think on what could be the possible causes.
The primary reason, of course, would be poverty. More than half of India’s population lives in the slums and struggles to get even one decent meal a day. With starvation, malnourishment, ill health and many more such deficiencies, survival in itself is a big battle, forget about happiness. And for all those philosophical geeks who think that money can’t buy happiness, try telling that to these people and I’ll be surprised if you’re still alive.
Moving on to people, with decent means, money is still a problem. Owing to the rising costs and inflation rates, it’s a challenge to really live a comfortable life. After all, no one is satisfied with what they have. Those who have a car want a bigger car. Those who have a house want another one. All this, is just an attempt to catch up with the Jones’. Add to this, society’s norms of success and you’ll spend a lifetime running after money, with no visible benefits apart from a high blood pressure attributable to stress.
And if you’re a woman, you have another set of situations to face. Eve teasing and rape on the roads, gender discrimination and sexual harassment at work, an unending list of family responsibilities and obligations at home..phew, where’s the time to be happy?
Kids don’t have it easy either. Gone are the days when all playgrounds would be full and when all streets turned into cricket grounds during the evening play-time. Kids have a huge burden on their little backs, in more ways than one. Kids in India today, no more have the luxury of being mediocre. They need to excel at everything-academics, sports, music, dance, drama, elocution and the list is endless. Once they’re back from school, they’re packed off and sent to tuition teachers. After all, one needs to be the best at everything they do. The recent 100% cut-off rate for admission to a renowned college in Delhi is proof enough of the situation.
Happiness cannot be measured. It’s a state of mind. The mind can be happy only when it’s at peace. Some great people say that happiness lies in giving, while others say that happiness lies in living life with sheer abandon, not caring about the people around you. Whatever it is, here’s wishing me and all the readers of this article, best of luck in their “pursuit to happyness” ;)
