A person that lives in a slum without clothes on their body, food in their belly, a roof above their head lives in a different paradigm to an individual with all of this and much more in their lives. So then does it even occur to the slum dweller what his purpose in life is, his need for a soulmate, the concept of 'me time', his idea of happiness, fulfilment, his calling? And even if it did, would it be a priority for him or her? And if it's not, then all of this must be relative. Would a corporate office worker not want to exit the workplace politics that he or she is surrounded by? And is this anything that the slum dweller has encountered? Because while less severe in comparison, it remains an unpleasant experience. And therefore maybe the two scenarios are hardly comparable.
This is why the idea of translating 'being fortunate' into 'being happy' is a tricky one.
Most people will remind you to count your blessings. And I would never deny that they were stating that incorrectly or are ignorant of another person's reality. However, the richest man in the world could still be very unhappy. And the smile that pours out of a poor one's lips could still be the most genuine.
Life is certainly more comfortable with money rather than without. But contentment and happiness run deeper than that. These have their roots within one's inner being. So yes, we can all count our blessings while at the same time being cognisant that pain and suffering could prevail despite the fortune of money.
One can nourish, look after and adorn the physical being. But the health of the mind is hardly a game of money. Ill physical health can take a toll on mental health and therein lies that dependency on wellbeing and by extension, happiness. However, there are scenarios outside of these situations which remain unchanged by fortune, when in the eyes of others all possible needs have been met and things couldn't have been better.
It's the unseen, the invisible that's of ultimate consequence then.
No comments:
Post a Comment