Having material comforts is not happiness

In our relentless pursuit of happiness, we often assert that everything we do in life, we do it for happiness. We declare that our own happiness hinges on the happiness of our loved ones. Society’s notion of happiness suggests that it can only be achieved when we possess certain external factors, often deferred into the future. We frequently postpone our happiness, embracing toil, effort, and discontentment in the present, all in the name of achieving something to ensure the happiness of others and ultimately of ourselves.

MATERIAL THINGS ARE NOT HAPPINESS

It’s crucial to differentiate between comfort and happiness. We are told that owning a car, a new house, a high-paying job, a loving partner, etc., will ultimately lead to happiness. We endure the struggles of the present, believing that these external possessions will make us happy. However, it’s essential to recognise that anything external to our being can only offer comfort. Owning a car may provide comfort or luxury in transportation, having our own house may free us from the burdens of rent, and securing a high-paying job may alleviate the burdens of labour, and so on. But let’s not mistake comfort for happiness.

Those fleeting moments of excitement or accomplishment derived from external possessions may give us convenience or comfort, but not happiness. Just as we cannot purchase health but can only acquire medical aids and facilities, similarly, happiness cannot be bought, achieved, or given. Owning a luxurious commodity does not make one happier than another.

SHOULD HAPPINESS BE CONDITIONAL?

We have conditioned our happiness so much on external factors: “I’ll feel nice when the weather is good,” or “I’ll be happy when my child excels in school,” or “I feel happy when I go shopping,” etc. We are told by medical experts these days that the release of “feel-good hormones” is essential for experiencing happiness, leading us to seek external stimuli that can trigger these chemicals. Now the search is even grosser. The dependency on objects, people’s behaviour, circumstances or achievements makes it paralysed and very shortlived.

It is now the time to liberate our happiness from external simulators or hormones. Happiness is an innate nature of our being, the very essence of our existence. It is shaped by the quality of our thoughts and our inner contentment. Happiness is the breath of the spirit. In the absence of happiness, we are spiritually dead. Just as we don’t need external aids to breathe, we don’t need achievements or possessions to feel happy. It’s time to stop searching for reasons to be happy and realise that happiness is our birthright.

Courtesy: Rajyoga Meditation Center, Kingston (meditation courses and counselling are offered free of charge). Email: kingston@jm.brahmakumaris.org. Or follow on Instagram: rajyoga_meditation_jamaica