|| Happiness is not a goal, it is a choice ||

It is said that "Nothing will make you happy unless you choose to be happy." We all know that when you feed a tree with soil and water, it grows upwards. When water is poured into plants, they thrive in a green hue, and we all love to watch that. Those who take care of plants on a daily basis see their trees and plants grow, while those who do not take care of them lose their allure. But, whether or not you take care of their soil, water, and energy, they still provide you with oxygen and a beautiful location full of tranquility. Nature, particularly plants, has the ability to transmit happiness by choice rather than by intent. Nature is constantly nurturing others. We humans have developed a paradigm in which we have progressed from thinking about the kingdom to thinking about the people of the kingdom to now thinking about our own benefits. We are only satisfied when we outperform our competition, peers, and family members. Our happiness has evolved into happiness in the pursuit of goals. We are missing out on happiness as a result of our decision. We have forgotten that happiness is about appreciating what you have rather than obtaining all you desire.

I was reading about an incident in the Krishna Avatar where a king by the name of Satrajit attacked Lord Krishna. Everyone, including Balram, Lord Krishna's older brother, Vasudev, Lord Krishna's father, other devotees, and the residents of Dwarka, became enraged as a result. But Lord Krishna handled the situation with love and serenity. Lord Krishna used to make people believe in prayers. Happiness, according to Lord Krishna, is found in the choices you make in dealing with situations. Nobody in Dwarka believed that someone could hurt Lord Krishna. And even if King Satrajit attacks, how can Lord Krishna not win? Everyone was curious as to why Lord Krishna did not triumph. When everyone gathered around Lord Krishna, he smiled sweetly and innocently and said, "Don't worry, I will handle it." Lord Krishna stated that first and foremost, King Satrajit displayed his possessions. When he met me, he made me see all of his treasured items. Lord Krishna assured him that he had just come here to befriend Yadavas. Rather than hitting back, Lord Krishna made an effort to crush his ego and make him see his sins without harming or compromising relationships. According to Lord Krishna, rather than reacting in the same way, if situations are handled gently, everyone will be happy. The purpose is not to teach people a lesson but to handle situations calmly. Many times, we unknowingly respond inappropriately on the spur of the moment. As a result, problems grow out of control, affecting everyone involved. Lord Krishna's modest and innocent grin changed the entire perception of this story. It is solely up to us to choose optimism in all situations, including success and happiness.

I recently came across a patient who was distressed due to familial issues. She had hearing problems, and no one could help her. She wasn't sure if she could afford to pay for her hearing. She indicated that she does not want to spend money on it, and I have not given her money justice after a months-long trial. I recognized that her circumstances encouraged her to do so, so I gladly said, "No problem, you can have your money back." I have done my best, but it is obvious that I cannot always please everyone. We ended up with a choice, so all sides are satisfied.

On a lighter note, everyone laughs at the joke about why everyone likes other people's wives or choices, and it is said that everyone enjoys seeing other people's blunders. That is, we are pleased to observe what decisions other people make. In the rat race world, rather than seeking our own happiness, we have made finding and commenting on other people's choices our purpose. I ran across a deaf father I had known when he was a child. He recently had a baby boy. I learned from them that the child is healthy and that both mother and child are doing well. I was wondering how thrilled he was because he received a precious gift for Father's Day. He was thrilled that he got a boy. I was happy as well to know that the boy who was child for me now has got a child. As I was discussing, his mother started interacting with me. She started asking questions like when do we test the child? Everyone is asking whether he can hear or not? I told her that we should celebrate and enjoy our happiness to have a healthy child then discuss further. The mother said that everyone had created a doubt in her mind which she wanted to rule out once and for all.

Sometimes I wonder why we don't just enjoy the present moment and plan for the future. Why do we constantly focus on the negative aspects first, ignoring the present joyful moments? I've been to numerous temples, one of which is Giriraj Parikrama in Mathura, where we go for pilgrimage and perform Parikrama around Goverdharna Parvata, to get closer to Lord Krishna and to feel the spot where Lord Krishna performed all of his kridas. To perform Parikrama, people can choose to walk there with or without chappals. They can walk without having water or food, pausing for a short while in between, or can ride an auto rickshaw alone or with others. Some also do dandwatee parikrama, some with bhajans and singing, some with talking with their friends and relatives, and some with enjoying and learning about Lord Krishna from Brijwasi. Everyone who comes there wants to do Parikrama to celebrate happiness and to be in their dham or region. At this point, we don't even compare ourselves to others; we do what we want, so why does our cognitive process change in everyday life?

I was also one of those who went to the Pavagadh temple, which is at a higher altitude, so people had to either climb steps or use a rope-way to get there. There are many steps to climb, and everyone goes their own route, praying along the way. Some people pause and take pictures in between, while others wait, take deep breaths, and gently climb, while others race to the finish line as quickly as possible. Everyone's perception is different, and everyone's choice in reciting and performing prayers for God is diverse. When they arrive and do darshan, they are filled with joy at having completed the pilgrimage task. God has made all of us to pray for him, and we make individual choices so that we feel good about it. There is no aim here, just a sensation of happiness, and if we think about it, our human brain works differently in experiencing happiness in everyday life.

My preferred approach to happiness is to spread smiles, especially for those deaf children who are always up for a challenge. I recall teaching emotions and feelings in classes to both deaf and hearing children, and instructing them to sketch emotions in different colours. Normal children stammered, but their hearing was normal, so they did angry emotions, as did all other deaf children, who did happy emotions, while the other normal children were perplexed by their emotions. Actually, one deaf child and one normal child were used to fill out the colour of gladness. This deaf child's mental process and exquisite clarity motivate me to spread more happiness.

To break the vicious cycle of negativity and spread positivity, we all need to make happiness our choice, and we need to decide what is good and what is bad for us. We also need to set a goal of being happy and making others happy every day. Happiness should come from the inside, and in order to do so, we must first be content with what we have.