Happiness

Lately, I have been thinking about happiness and the reasons behind it.

I consider myself.

Everytime I rose above the benchmarks of  excellence in academics in my school, I was happy. Everytime I failed to get the desired results in an examination, I was not. Not making it to IIT hurt for a very long time. So much so, that the academic achievements at the university level and beyond failed to bring about the usual cheer.

The letters of acceptance from B-schools brought happiness. So did coming home during vacations.

Ackowledgements, appraisals and rewards at work brought happiness. So did the money and prestige that came with it. And the international stint.

But all this brought happiness only to a point. Then, it did not matter that much. I moved to the verge of indifference.

Then I travelled a lot. For pleasure. The memory of the joy that came out of it still makes me happy.

Bookshops make me happy. So does reading.

A good movie makes me happy. So does a good meal.

Walking makes me happy. So does music.

Feeling the fresh morning breeze touch my face makes me happy. So does walking on grass barefoot.

Spending time with close family makes me happy. So does talking to and meeting friends.

Coming home makes me happy. It always has. And I think, it always will. The sight of overflowing gutters this morning on the way home made me smile. Some things never change.

I haven't felt like this in a long time.

A royal wedding, a secret funeral and forgiveness

‘Forgiveness is the hardest of all acts. Love, by comparison, is easier.’

On the morning of April 29th in London, Prince William took Kate Middleton to be his legally wedded wife. It was a beautiful wedding ceremony in Westminster Abbey, solemn in its tone, yet regal in its grandeur. The ceremony was telecast live on television and was reportedly watched live by over two billion people worldwide. It was a Friday.
I enjoyed watching it on television. If I had to summarize in two words how I felt as I was watching the ceremony, I would say ‘solemn happiness’.

Happiness is infectious even when it is around people who are not directly connected to you.


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In the wee hours of May 2nd in Abbottabad, Pakistan, US Special Forces killed Osama Bin Laden. There were reports that Bin Laden’s twelve year old daughter saw him being shot. Then, there were other reports claiming that Bin Laden blew himself up before the US Forces could shoot him. Either way, Bin Laden died. By self admission, the US Forces buried his body, or whatever remained of it, at sea. Soon, the American President told the country and the world in a televised address that Bin Laden was dead. There were street celebrations across America, including in New York City. In the next few days, reactions poured in from across the world.
Questions were raised about the manner in which Bin Laden’s funeral had been carried on. Some people prayed for him. Countless were relieved that he was dead. Terror experts are coming up with their view on what the implications of his death might be.

What I have been reading lately has caught my attention.

The Vatican’s official statement was issued on the morning of May 2nd by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, P. Federico Lombardi.
This was his statement:
“Osama Bin Laden - as everyone knows - has had the gravest responsibility for spreading hatred and division among people, causing the deaths of countless people, and exploiting religion for this purpose.
Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.”

Did Bin Laden’s death bring closure for families who lost loved ones in 9/11 attacks? I am not qualified to answer that question. May be, it did.

I asked a son who had lost his mother on September 11, 2001 in the twin tower blasts, “How do you feel about this?”
He said, “She taught me that I should learn to forgive, not avenge, if I wanted to become a better man. Am I happy that Bin Laden was killed? You are goddamn right, I am. Am I celebrating his death? No, I am not. She would not have wanted me to. All life is precious. His was too. He used it too badly. And he finally paid for it.”

Looking at Osama as an individual, isolated from his fundamentalist mindset, I see a man who had the charisma to attract people from different walks of life and unify them for a cause. I see a man who had the acumen to plan and the daring confidence to execute the most difficult and seemingly impossible missions.
And what did he choose to do with all this? Divert people to fundamentalism and violence, kill innocents all over the world, instill fear and hatred in the minds and hearts of people.

What a waste!

Resumption

I am back to where I started. This is where I will write primarily.
And if the past is any indicator, I will enjoy it.

More soon.