HAPINESS- ELUSIVE FEELINGS...

Seeking happiness remains to be the basic purpose in our life. All our activities are directed towards achieving happiness. Yet happiness continues to elude us. Why ! We glibly talk about happiness being state of mind but fail to understand its true meanings. Happiness is a product of love. We love our children, parents, life partner other relations and friends. We love our belongings and have longing for these. In all these relations and possessions we are guided by our basic purpose of fulfillment of our desires. We keep chasing our desires to no end. This love for our relations and belongings is reciprocal. We have expectations in return for our love. In our offerings too we seek much bigger returns. Even alms giving is guided by our desire to be thanked in return. When these expectations are not fulfilled we feel disappointed and sad. Jealousy, a product of ego is another cause of our unhappiness.


So, in order to achieve eternal happiness we need to understand eternal love. The love that is not reciprocal. It is one way act, without any expectations in return. It is a different plane altogether from reciprocal love which is based on give and take. “Sarbat da bhala” (Well being of all) enunciated by Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji is out of eternal love for all. Love for all, even of those who may not like us or have gone astray from right path, that we call criminals. Love without discrimination. Eternal love has no scope for hatred. Instead we feel sorry for those who suffer for having lost their true bearings, (Na ko bairi nahen begana sagal sang ham ko ban aai). Compassion replaces hatred. It is total surrender to Him, that is called 'Bhagti” Once we are one with Him we achieve eternal happiness, the bliss. Till than the true happiness will continue to elude us.




Lt Col HS Cheema

Its a time to party….

No reason really – just for the week end sake – or for the week gone by...

Daughter, Wify, Self, Brother, Brother’s Wify

Daughter, Wify, Brother’s Wify

Do you have to time to Live life?.....

My daughter

(1995)

Brother's daughter, His son, My son and My daughter

Must try this after a drink

Everywhere I see - I see depression, tension and people spiralling down in the lives, not living -- just marking their days -- passing time, wishing that the day goes by - waiting eagerly for the next day and when that arrives not knowing what to do with it. What has gone wrong? I see that the divorce has become everyday affair. Was materially being more comfortable meant to give us more problems? Or was it to solve our everyday problems? The satisfaction is just not there -- in our work, in play, in family, in children, in friends..... where do we head from here? Have we become our own slaves, slaves to a desires, slaves to time, slaves to our work? How do we break the rigmarole of daily routine and live our lives?

Sorry -- that's a sentence with too many question marks. But I do know about to put it across any other way. I was slipping through my album and saw the photographs of my daughter -- just born in my hands -- today I have discussions with her as we are good friends. I realised that time has flown by. I do not regret any moment of my life because I have tried to live it to the maximum - living within the self constraints of morals. And this is what I teach my children also -- I tell them whenever the times are bad to not wish them away -- because the time that goes by never comes back. I tried to explain to them live life whether it is good and bad or ugly to the fullest. Enjoy every moment that you live. In all this I have tried to throw in the salt of their responsibilities to the nature, society and each other. I am sure and pray that they will be good citizens of tomorrow.

I wanted to ask - what does ' living life' mean? Does it have a separate meaning for me and for others? are now trying to press an early retirement from this uniform -- make some neat money and spend the time I like doing the most. Nature, photography, reading, music, movies and of course donating to the poor FIIs.

hell -- too much time daydreaming -- let me get back to work.