I opened the newspaper on the 1st of January, hoping to read something good. Something good to start anew. But there was nothing good to read about on the front page. I wonder why. Did nothing good happen on Dec 31st, was nothing good going to happen in 2013?
After Dec 16th there have been a plethora of discussions- what happened, how it happened, the statistics of rape case etc. The gruesome details were out there. While I agree that facts have to be told, awareness has to be created but…..don’t the crooked minded get more ideas, the animals amongst us humans, don’t they get more fodder.
All of us go through lean phases. Phases when nothing seems to go right. A failed marriage, a heartbreak, children deserting us, a boss who is crazy etc. What do you do about it? Will it help if you just keep mulling about it with a long face, refusing to look at solutions or not trying to do anything better.
The point I am trying to make is, it does not help if you keep on looking at the negatives in your life.
If you need sunshine inside the room….. go open the windows.
You may say…. Reema what do you know about a failed marriage or a tyrant boss or a heartbreak. But my dear… I know. Each one of us experience defeat in some or the other way.
So how do we welcome cheer back into our life. PRACTICE. Even if you want to cry, smile. You want to complain, yet you write a happy post which will bring a smile to someone else’s face. And making someone else smile gives one so much of happiness.
You may say, ‘Practice, now do I have to practice being happy too’ yes you may have to and why not?
In the battlefield when Krishna tells Arjuna, ‘Always think of me’ Arjuna says ‘I can’t, please teach me how can I?’ Imagine here is a great devotee of the Lord who says that I cannot remember you always and Krishna says:
abhyasa-yoga-yuktena
cetasa nanya-gamina
paramam purusam divyam
yati parthanucintayan
TRANSLATION
He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Partha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.
The first word is of importance here ‘Practice’ Practise remembering me always. So if you want to be happy and cheerful can’t you practice being happy? And why are you upset for. The tyrant Boss does not rule your life, the guy who left you was not worthy of you, the failed marriage was giving pain…why worry about all these, why become sad for something which didn’t give you pleasure?
So practice being happy. Is it so difficult?
Picture courtesy deviantart.com
I feel the same way. Happy New Year Reema.
Let us all keep those windows open. Happiness is bound to come in and sadness is bound to leave at some point.
Absolutely Jyothi, provided we are ready to welcome happiness. Have a wonderful 2013
Much as it seems difficult to stay positive with so many disturbing things happening all around us, I do agree with you on keeping the window open to let sunshine in. We need to practice staying happy and cheerful more often.
It is my belief that if the change should be personal first and then we can change the society/system And for that if we start praqcticing being happy… that is a giant leap forward
Very true, some of the things we fret about is just not worth it!
Exactly!!
Very well said, Bhagya! Though it is very difficult to do, we can do it if we try to do it!
Somehow we are used to seeing the negative side. Which is pathetic. In Japan it seems the very next day of the earthquake… the main sheet of the newspaper had nothing to report about it. Only the inner sheets had some pictures of the devastation. That is the optimism with which they have built their country agagin and again after every assault-manmade or natural
Bhagyashree,
I fully agree with you. It is upto us to be happy or unhappy. One needs to be positive. You are right when you say that giving all details provide fodder to criminals, not only that also they are forewarned what to do for not getting caught. For that unfortunate case, pressure needs to be kept up for justice but not repeating details.
Take care
Totally agree with “pressure needs to be kept up for justice but not repeating details.”
Jack Uncle always hits the nail on the head
Exactly!! LEt the family have some peace. Let us take some steps for improving ourselves, why repeat details
Very well said Bhagya!
The media keeps giving us the same old kind of news as though nothing good has happened. Ofcourse, there is need to know what is happening around, but not to an extent of adding all possible masala and offering it to the public. There are too many good things happening around too and so many people outdoing themselves to do good for the society, but never ever make it to the media. I wonder why people get so influenced by the media too and keep losing all hope
True Swaram and that is why I absolutely love your posts
We should know more about the good work that is going on. Instead of feeling dejected with the negatives let us be energized with the positives
Thanks Bhagya. That’s one of the main reasons I write these posts too
It’s disheartening to see people blaming our country 
Our own people at that.
Exactly. Why blame the country or others when there is so much scope to improve oneself
Yes, sometimes it is difficult…but I like that sentence..practice being happy..
Yes if one cannot be naturally happy, let him practice being so
Totally agree!! Its necessary to stay positive and to let the sunshine in our lives esp during such challenging times!
Happy New Year dear!
Glad that u agree with me Pixie. Sometimes we miss the better things in life just because we do not want to see it
Happy New Year to u 2
What more can be said to add to your nice post?Happiness is not something external.The same incident can make one happy and another sad.It is a state of mind and how we react to things happening around us.Staying positive and ignoring the negative is the only way to keep ourselves calm and contented.This comes about only by abhyasa as you have rightly said.
Not impossible for sure. We can definitely try and make our lives better
Yes that is if we want ot make our lives better
Sometimes we wait for others to make our lives better
we do and that is the biggest mistake.. Takes a lot of time to understand
Yes Jas and so much time is lost
Everything that we do or dont do is a survival mechanism. practising to be happy is a great survival tip. Our state of mind dictates how we feel and how we percieve things to be. Your thoughts on the subject are lovely and it has given me a lot to think and peruse about.
yes so it is better to be in a happy frame of mind. There are situations which we cannot change. People we cannot change, so why bother….