Quest for happiness runs as a recurrent theme in men physical and mint endeavors since the beginning of recorded history. On the one hand, it I led him to invent labour saving devices like the wheel and the lever to redbud his drudgery. Alternatively, he has discovered and developed various ways and mea to amuse himself.
Sports, music, dance and fine arts have added enormously to capacity for enjoying himself. But freedom from pain and titillation of the senses d not exhaust man’s quest for happiness. The prosperous and healthy man, who h” access to all physical comforts and cultural refinements, has not conquered happiness He still finds plenty of occasions to be unhappy.
As a matter of fact, fulfillment of basic needs is a necessary but not sufficient condition for man’s happiness. Had it been so, men living in developed countries like Sweden, U.S.A. and Japan, who satisfy their basic needs, would have slowed down their efforts for progress. On the contrary, we find them working at a feverish pitch to develop new technology to improve their material conditions and to evolve better institutions to enhance their quality of life. May be the real search for happiness begins when man is no longer bothered about the provision of food, shelter and clothes.
Certain dissatisfaction with his present lot is almost a permanent characteristic of man. It stirs him to engage in harder efforts to improve his lot. Philosophers have sometimes termed this tendency as a ‘divine discontent’.
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This discontent is responsible for ‘rags to riches’ stories of men all over the world. Thus we find Abraham Lincoln journeying through his life from ‘a log cabin to the White House’ by dint of hard work. He had to study in the light of street lamps as his parents could not afford expenses of lighting inside their house.
Lai Bahadur Shastri, one of the most widely respected Prime Ministers of India, had to swim across a river daily to reach his school as he could not afford the expenses of a boat ride. Steady and continuous efforts leading to success often constitute the road to happiness. Many thinkers, therefore, believe that happiness is development, not pleasure.
To be happy means being at peace with one’s self and with the world. One, who naps reconciled or coordinated his conflicting desires and has formulated a healthy functional relationship with the world around him, can expect to lead a normal happy (existence. If some grave misfortune befalls him, he may grieve over it; if his loss is likely to disturb the internal psychic equilibrium or his functional relation with environment, he is disturbed.
But it is possible that he has stored up substantial reserves of fortitude which may be available with him even if part of it is expended on dealing with the misfortune. He may also have the powers of rationalization of the mishaps and will overcome these in a short time. Tagore tided over his grief for the death of his daughter.
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The founder of Stanford University outlived the grief over the death of his only son. He said to himself ‘let the children of Stanford be my children’. He gave his heart and soul to the building up of an institution of excellence which has produced 1 the largest number of Nobel laureates. He is a supreme example of a human being who knew how to sublimate his greed.
The more autonomous a person is in his life, the happier he is. It does not mean isolation from others. As a social being, a man has to interact with others, with social environment and also with the natural environment. He has to earn his livelihood in society. He must have means of earning his bread.
He must possess either land, which he can cultivate or he should have some socially useful skill for which society can remunerate him. He can teach, work in industry or engage in business. But he will be autonomous in proportion to his capacity to change one profession for another if the; need arises.
It also implies that society must also have reached a stage of development which enables it to provide alternative employment to citizens. Alternately, in an underdeveloped society, a man’s choice or autonomy will be severely limited so far as a choice of profession is concerned.
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Man is constantly under pressure. There are demands made on him by his wife or children which he has to fulfill. There are demands made on him by his kinds and friends that he has to satisfy. He must have wherewithal to meet these demands.
He should have money to meet the necessities of his home and family. He must have time to spare for responding to his friends and relatives. The community may also have certain expectations from him which can be very demanding. A man can hope for autonomy only after he can discharge his social obligations satisfactorily.
Man has to work in an organization to earn his livelihood. Every organization exercises some control over its members. If this control is excessive, a man cannot retain his autonomy to any degree. He should either be able to reduce this social control or should join an organization which is compatible with the degree of autonomy acceptable to him.
If he finds that working for a private entrepreneur gives him all the money he wants but denies even the minimum level of autonomy he desires, he may have to change the employer and go to the one who offers some autonomy with the minimum acceptable level of income. For most, it will not be possible to have maximum money with maximum autonomy. The law of money making and the law of acquisition of autonomy are not reconcilable at the moment.
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If a man’s happiness depends on some person or persons, any change in the disposition or location of the latter will affect his happiness. If you have some contra over the person or environment which contributes to your happiness, you have failed good chance of continuing to be happy.
It is wise, therefore, to build a solid foundation of happiness on activities and around persons whose support you can take for granted A spouse, a friend, a son, an all absorbing hobby can provide such unconditionf support and can become a source of in-exhaustible joy and happiness.