We tend to plan to do the things we love, once we retire from our working lives. Curiously, quite a few drop dead soon after retirement; some battle illness that comes perhaps with old age and boredom or reason beyond one’s control; but there are many seniors now a-days who are determined to enjoy that last segment of their lives. They say that they realize, that all along, we make the mistake of ignoring the journey and focus on the end goal, thereby missing the bus. What, if they ask, we had somehow made the time during our working lives, to also do the things we love to do, even if only in short bursts? Why postpone all that to the end of life when we are not certain if we will even be alive or be able enough to do all of that?
Talking about our eternal search for happiness. If only we could enjoy life’s journey and not be driven solely by a future goal, happiness could be within our grasp. When you chase something, it turns elusive, whereas if you can take each day as it comes and live to the full, mindfully, there are greater chances of experiencing joy even in the midst of a busy working day. He gives an interesting example of the chewing gum — in the beginning the gum is sweet, we enjoy it, but gradually it becomes tasteless; yet we keep chewing gum mindlessly, even as our jaw hurts and stomach turns acidic, even as we are no longer cognizant of whether we are hungry or not; we cannot swallow the gum and we are reluctant to spit it out. That seems to be the story of most people’s lives, as they live in ignorance, chasing a far-off goal with a chimera of happiness, neglecting to live well in the present and instead, live a mundane life akin to chewing gum mechanically, all day long.
The story of a grumpy old man who was celebrating his 80th birthday. Most people avoided him as he was always complaining about something; he never had a good word to say about anyone, and he was so critical of others and their doings. But on this day, he surprised everyone with his pleasant demeanor and happy face. What happened, they asked.
Well, said the old man, I was chasing happiness all my life and focused on all the things that prevented me from feeling joy and complained about them and made everyone around me miserable and I felt miserable, too. Finally, I stopped chasing happiness; I just let it go. It was as if a great burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Experiencing a lightness of being, I began to feel happy and bingo, I realized that the moment I started living in the present, liberated from the happiness goal, I found happiness in everything I saw and did.
An exalted state of being that transcends the need to even feel happy or joyful. Not only does it come from lightness of being; it leads to an enlightened way of life.
