attitude to life

Happiness is nothing but attitude to life

"Love should not be a burden to be carried unwillingly. It should rather allow one to relax and enjoy the different situations of life." - Dadi Janki

People are irresponsible, they are stubborn and miserly. Many are careless about everything. But quite a few are loving, caring, responsive and gentle. Why such a contrastive variation? Man’s approach and attitude towards life is often determined by the socio-cultural atmosphere during his/her childhood. No doubt, one’s education and later life experiences add to one’s response mechanism, yet the broader cast is formed in that formative period of life.

Often, people try to change their lifestyle with the hope that their attitude towards persons and things will display the desired results. But this turns out to be illusory since, if one changes his dress and starts wearing a particular colour, say white, or he turns his food likings from non-vegetarian to pure vegetarian, where even the onion and garlic are also barred, would that thoroughly change his thinking habits and social behaviour?

Similarly, a person may have millions of rupees and unlimited stock of luxuries of life. Would these possessions change his thinking? Would he automatically become generous? Experience is often otherwise. Most rich people are often found to be miserly. Moreover, one may have luxuries and comforts and yet he may be tense or even depressed for one reason or the other.

The more you focus on ‘what you do not have’ the more unhappy and tense you are likely to be.

More important is not what you have or don’t have but it is your attitude towards all those possessions. If you feel contented with those possessions, irrespective of their quantum, you are sure to be relaxed and happy. The more you focus on ‘what you do not have’ the more unhappy and tense you are likely to be. It is an established fact of human conduct that ‘selfishness’, in whichever form and at whatever level, generates unhappiness. If one is all the time worried about his personal goals and gains without even a thought to one’s social duty and can even dilute ethical and moral norms for their attainment, he is bound to be at the receiving end in the long run.

People often have grouse and grudge with people whom they love. Surprising, isn’t it? But it is true because one has expectations and demands from the loved ones, which, sooner or later, turn into complaints and conflicts. But we need to seriously analyse the situation and find out whether it is love at all. It may be some attachment or even selfishness but it cannot be termed ‘love’. Love, which hopes to gain benefits and satisfy one’s desires, is likely to lead to tensions and may finally break up the relations.

One must develop an attitude of regard towards others, irrespective of their age or religion. This will earn you the love and respect of others. Love should not be a burden to be carried unwillingly. It should rather allow one to relax and enjoy the different situations of life. We rarely seem to realise that this world of ours is temporary and so are the relations. You never know when life or relations may slip from your grasp. Why then should one not be good and gain happiness so long as the life and relations keep going?

Dadi Janki

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU) is an international non-governmental organisation, which intends to help individuals re-discover and strengthen their inherent worth by encouraging and facilitating a process of spiritual awakening.

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