Monday, 26 March 2018
Measuring happiness?
From 122nd rank in 2017 to 133rd rank in 2018, India has slipped 11
places on the ‘World Happiness Index’. This ranking by the UN purports to
reveal how happy the country is. On the other hand, Pakistan is at 75th
position, despite being terror-ravaged.
Now, the question is: can happiness be measured? “Happiness cannot be
measured. It’s to be felt,” wrote the German novelist Herman Hesse in his book
Siddharth. Human emotions and feelings can never be measured or demarcated
country-wise because human spirit is universal. Emotions are not differently
felt and experienced by people of different countries. “What you call
happiness/ Is pain to someone else/ Both are two sides of the same coin/ At
times, friend and sometimes, foe,” wrote Allama Iqbal.
Such surveys are bound to be lopsided and fallacious because Pakistan is
placed at 75th position, whereas the ethos and emotional approximations of the
citizens of both the countries are almost identical.
India is a country that believes in karma concept and fatalism. “In
India, even those resigned to their fate are so happy that an outsider can’t
say that they’re unhappy with their lot. They’re the forever happy people and
happier than the sages in the Himalayas and the denizens of Beverly Hill or
Manhattan,” sociologist Meera Kosambi said.
So, measuring something as subtle as happiness according to country,
place and people is not just erroneous, it shows the limited ambit of human
intelligence and inveterate condescension of a certain group.
Economic Times in The Speaking Tree
By Sumit Paul
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
Quote from the True Charm and Power of
Vedanta
What really is religion?
Many of the suffering, violence and hardships caused today are due to
terrorism, allegedly inspired by religion, dharma. This is due to improper and
incomplete understanding of dharma and sampradaya. Dharma is for the betterment
of the world. Dharma is complete in itself and cannot be divided. Dharma of
humanity can only be one. The dharma of agni can only be to burn or give heat.
Dharma of other elements of nature is one and constant. Similarly, the dharma
of human beings can only be love.
Other aspects are sampradaya, the different traditions and cultures.
Today, there is conflict between various sampradaya based on different ways of
invoking the Supreme. When the followers of one sampradaya think that their way
is superior to that of the other, then that creates blind faith, hate and
narrow thinking. This leads to creating a class which is not Godloving but
God-fearing. This encourages cult leaders to sway people to follow their way
and fan hatred for the other, whereas a truly religious or spiritual leader
will advocate only love for all.
We should understand the difference between dharma and sampradaya.
Dharma is universal, and for everyone. What is different is merely the way of
prayer. The different way of prayer should not lead the most intelligent
creature on Earth to bloody conflicts, hatred and division. We should be close
to the essence of dharma and should be careful about the limited role and
significance of sampradaya.
But, if He exists?
I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent
7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his
colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting
ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The
doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten
minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire
lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you
grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.
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