HAPPINESS, ONE WAY TO ACHIEVE IT
Everyone, whether from the North or the South, from the city or the rural area, from a rich or a poor society, from a tolerant society or one that is intolerant. Under all the imaginable social situations. Wants to be happy.
But Happiness cannot be obtained as if it is a commodity; it is not separated form our own mind, society and in what the ancient peoples mind is defined as SELF
One reason the search for Happiness is so difficult is because most people are looking for it using wrong pathways or easy methods. It is neither easy nor a path easily understandable). Whilst there is no one particular way of achieving happiness, my own readings in Western Philosophy and residence among the Native Americans and Respect for the Buddhist Philosophy and Dalai Lama… all have repeatedly pointed out to one source of happiness to begin with.
Compassion
A characteristic we associate with monks and religious peoples, can be present and achieved by ordinary people who neither religious nor spiritual, even though compassion is a path to spirituality. You would be surprised to know that Google Company has a separate division to promote compassion among its employees and harness that sensation of compassion that workers in that company feel, which led to the company giving 20 per cent of the time relieved of routine work. The Person heading that Division in the company is a Chinese, Engineer by trade but a devout Buddhist, not at all representative of the society that raised him.
Compassion can be learned and practiced and many of the hurdles towards achieving happiness would easily follow once compassion is practiced in every day situations
I understand YOU
I feel for YOU
What can I do to relieve you of the pain or suffering?
As you can imagine, in the corporate world where time is considered money, the driving force behind the ethics, many would be reluctant to think about compassion. They may donate to charity or attend a charity event but on an every day basis Compassion is not on their minds. Let the corporate workers recognize that more and more companies and even countries are adopting methods of Happiness.
Countries which have Democracy, are Tolerant, which look after the unfortunate among their midst have all have higher degrees of satisfied populations. When you think about it, isn’t it compassion on an institutional scale?
Achieving changes within your self is necessary to wash away some of the dirt accumulated by subscribing to the society’s rules to “succeed” in it? You cannot achieve that change without compassion.
I am fortunate to work with Native American Indians and I am reminded of what one of my teachers said early on in my encounters with them: Only good people would become Good Doctors so instead of trying to become a Good Doctor, try to become a good human being, Good Doctoring will follow.
As Dalai Lama has said
If you want Happiness in others, practice compassion
If you want to be Happy, practice compassion.
