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Written by | Arificial Intelligence
A word, a feeling which has indeed become rare. Like everyone else, I too am in the unending race for having more in life. I am not happy; and take my word, neither is anybody else in this race.
Happiness. Is it spelled with a single 'p' or a double? Spell check should tell me, for I do not remember how to spell this word. It is hardly used. Back to the subject: Happiness, is a state of mind, and mood in the heart, which is satisfied. It is in a blissful trance.
Keep your maths away from life
Contrary to popular belief, happiness is neither directly proportional to the number of successes we achieve, nor inversely proportional to the amount of failures life puts us through. In fact, life is a punch in the stomach for the engineer, the mathematical. Their belief is,
RHS = LHS;
so if they add something nice to someone's life, they anticipate something nice would be added in return. This never happens, and that is why we see so many educated minds unhappy. It seems a waste to them to be nice for the sake of being nice. They are jubilant and joyous only when:
My successes > Their Successes.
May be, statistics could help. It says that the probability of this inequality being true is zero; correct to three decimal places. The problem is that 'Their Successes' implies that we compare our successes with an infinite number of people; most of these would be lousy, but a fair share would be competent as well. Just one person more successful than you, and this equation stares angrily at you. Now, you are happy no more.
The above analogy may seem absurd, but this fact governs our actions. All we have to do is stand in front of the mirror, shut all the windows and doors, and speak the truth to ourselves. Aren't we all ruining our lives following these equations of hate and pain. The mirror may lie as well, since we are mostly in a state of denial about our selves or have given grand terminologies such as competence, mission, et al, to it that we don't realize that we are governing our satisfaction levels using these equations.
I think I am being over-critical. Society today is not so bad after all. There are so many good things happening, both through my efforts and naturally forces, that I should rejoice for each and every one of them. 
You always wanted an iPod, but could never afford it! Turn on the radio, your favorite is already on air. This could make you smile; you could qualify to be a happy person. It helps to enjoy what is at hand, than to whine for the absence of your dream, the impossible.
Here is another gem
The rich are happy, the poor are always in a state of misery. We always hear the rich being genuinely concerned about the miserable poor. The lady talks about her miserable maid. The poor woman has got to earn money, and then return home to do the cooking. Her husband beats her black and blue whenever she fails to yield money.
The guy talks about the poor security guard at his office. Earning a measly 8,000 ($129), he is malnourished, and his family is in doldrums. In between, their is talk of their kids:"Poor, stray kids, they have got no future", the rich exclaim with a heavy heart.
I call the rich to calm down and take a closer look into the lives of the poor. Observe them in their dwellings. It is ironic to note that they are one happy lot. The poor kid may not have the latest Xbox to enjoy first person shooting, but what he has with him is hundreds of outdoor games; a dozen of which he may have invented himself. He has the whole day to play. Surely, this must keep him happy. 
The poor women may not have television sets to enjoy soaps, but what they have is endless gossip, a song for every occasion, customs and weddings. Even mournings are enjoyed as get together occasions. Missing are birthdays, sophisticated parties and anniversaries.
The guys. They have their thrilling donkey races, affectionate pigeons, and clandestine gambling on a game of cards. All this keeps them happy. And when they are not, they can always return home and beat up their wife. The wife can shout till the top of her voice. Kids would run away and play their games outside, while the people of the slum would gather in. Decisions would be made, gossip would circulate. Life continues, lots of happiness, a lot of days bad. 
Still not happy? To keep us happy, is the promise of God. No matter which class of society, which age group, which religion or race you belong to, happiness will reach to you like your share of oxygen, naturally, or with the slightest effort.
Don't worry, be happy.
About the Author The author is a Second Year student in Urban Engineering. He is also the editor of this blog.
Are you happy?
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