The subjectivity of happiness!!

As I halted in the scorching heat, waiting for the signal to turn green so that I can drive fast in my most lovable honda-dio, reach home, take a bottle of ice water and pour it on my head, I noticed something very special or rather "touchy".

These few minutes of my observation made me forget everything around me including the sun god's ferocious heat waves.

I am sure all of us (from Chennai) would have noticed this group of people who try to sell various things to us as we all wait impatiently in the signals. But how many of us have noticed what they do after we accept of reject to buy things from them??

There was this little boy who was standing outside a shop that is located at the road-side near the Thiruvanmiyur main signal. A lady (whom i am guessing was the boy's mother) came close to me and was desperately convincing me to get a duster that I could use to clean my Dio. When i said i don't need it, she simply refused to move and continued her job of convincing me to get one. Thats when i told myself, selling and marketing does not really need an MBA. Even a rag-picker who has the right speaking skills can perhaps do a good job. Alright, my intention here is not to sound offensive about the nuances of an MBA degree. That is altogether a different topic, about which i will blog on later.:)

Though the duster looked very fancy to me, i decided not to buy it because i knew if i get one, my mom would kick me out of the house. Not to blame her...i already have a dozen of such fancy dusters that i had bought in the past and never used one to clean my DIO..:P

After i nodded a strict NO for the duster, the lady went ahead with other customers. After few seconds, i turned around to see if anyone around had bought anything from her...sadly, NO!!

Disappointed, she walked towards the little boy. The boy was jumping with joy. when i noticed why...it looked like the boy had found a pair of torn slippers near that shop, slippers that someone had thrown away. The lady asked him to put the slippers away. The boy simply refused to do so. He wore the slippers and showed it to her. As he did, I could feel my heart pounding with happiness seeing his joyful expression.

The signal turned green. Usually, I move in a jiffy at the sight of a green signal. This time was different.

As i drove, plethora of thoughts started flowing in. I began to compare my life with that of the boy's. I realised, how many times i have remained frustrated despite getting what i deserved. Its true that 'Man' and 'greed' go well with each other. We always crave for more.

But there are also people who are more than satisfied with the bare minimum that they get and live their life to the fullest extent. They teach us that 'life without contentment will never open the door to happiness.'

It is true that one doesn't really need a "gyan-guru" to learn about the intricacies of life. Any random person whom we come across may become our teacher. What is important is to keep our eyes and ears, wide open:)

Comments

Madhusunda said…
hey mad a very nice n thoughtful post.... there are very few genuine ppl who actually sell those dusters/pins/cleaners ..... most of them r not families... they r all run by a gang of rowdies who actually snatch their earnings(if any) later part of d day n give them back wateva they wish to... many such ladies wit kids.. are extremely rude if we hesitate to buy from them... they also act as distractions for pickpockets to do their jobs conveniently.... most of them seem like a dangerous bunch of ppl... cos i have witnessed such acts in the day time itself.... but ya coming to the main issue/thought on which u have pondered here.... man has become the most discontent creature on earth....man keeps demanding god as if he's obliged to give us wat we ask for... i agree its always nice to have a rolex to a titan/timex .... but does man realize how long does he have the happiness of getting a rolex..???once it comes.... it loses its value... it becomes... " oh rolex huh .. its nothin... gud.. nothin gr8 about it.. i have it.. " ....greed increases day by day.... man doesn really know wat he wants in life n wy he wants it....wat can every individual do is sit and understand and come to a conclusion what exactly he wants in his life... once this self realization occurs.. am sure a merc or a rolex or any such so and so would become another ordinary thing for him in front of his realization ....
rakesh said…
Keen powers of observation i must say...However, I guess it's all about where you draw a line....After all, Greed is a significant driver of growth...