In pursuit of happiness

Good morning friends. Happy Diwali to all. It’s time for each and every one of us to be happy. Some may not notice that happiness is just around us. Some search for an extravagant happiness. Big or small happiness, it is all depend on us how we are going to feel that. I have read an article of one fashion designer on how he quest for happiness. Here’s how he express his story.

I believe you can see God anywhere - in your garden, on the road or by the seaside.

But since I like Gucci shoes, I don't think of God in connection with the label. I believe one can really be in love with luxury as well as be meditative, because one is not exclusive to the other in any way. But putting life on hold to go off on a journey in pursuit of happiness or even seeking spiritualism outside the realm of daily concerns would be a bit dull.

Life comes in many colors and one need to enjoy all of them. In India, there are very few strict spiritual templates and you can afford to believe anything without moving out of your cultural backdrop. It is a culture that believes in Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma and the tantric ethos. I went to the Kumbh Mela recently and really got a sense of how diverse our culture is in its spirituality and beliefs in God. There is nothing like wrong or right except truth and honesty. I actually stopped living up to somebody else's expectations of me, though it came a bit late in life, but I am glad to have done it now. – The Times of India

(Ritu Kumar is a well-known fashion designer)

Letting go of loss and failure – 2

Concerning your “failure” to guide your brother in his marriage and personal life, well, there are certain things that are beyond our control, one of which is one’s free will and thinking. Recall that our Lord could not even prevent Judas Iscariot from betraying Him or that He failed to convert His countrymen so that He wept, in frustration, over Jerusalem!

Someone made the analogy. You can lead a horse to a stream but you cannot force him to drink. How much more with humans? Perhaps you just have to wait until the horse has a thirst for water or, in the case of your brother, until he gets enlightened.

Here’s what St. Bonaventure says: “Do not become upset or impatient at the defects of other, for it would be foolish if upon seeing some fall into a ditch you should throw yourself into another uselessly.”

Don’t give up on one thing: Prayer. St. Monica prayed for the conversion of her son for almost 20 years – and her prayers bore fruit.

If a person does not change, change your attitude towards him. One of the hardest things to do in this world is to change the character of a person As a Chinese proverb goes: “It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river that a person’s character.” So better change yourself or lower you expectations.

When gloomy and negative thoughts pop up in our mind, vanish them. One way of doing it is to keep busy or to fill you mind with happy, optimistic thoughts.