Life is not just about struggle

Young people the world over are under pressure to compete, survive and thrive. But before talking about them, let us define who these young people are.

The term ‘young’ is loosely used to incorporate those ranging from late teens to late 50s. These days it is both biologically and psychologically determined. Both Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Generation Y (born between 1981 and 2000) together comprise the young. Anyway, the issue is not that.

In urban India, it is this class that is most vibrant and makes things happen, if at all. But today this class is experiencing a psychologically unstable mindset. It is reticent. It is also restive. It is both withdrawn and aggressive. It is quiet as well as vocal. An iPod generation, it is insecure, pressured, over-taxed and debt-prone, and is not satisfied with the way the world is moving. Many experts blame the economic downturn for this. But is this the real reason? And, is there any solution? For the large majority, the answer to the first question is yes. But for them, the answer to the second question is a big no. One needs to understand that economic downturn is rooted in greed and fear.

Coming back to the issue of young people being under pressure, the question is: Why are they so? There are two fundamental reasons. First, they are in a hurry and want things done very fast — too much, too soon. It is the dominant culture today. But they forget that speed thrills but kills! The second reason is that they want so many things at the same time. Or, rather they do not know what they want. The result is that they want to have the cake and eat it too. In the process, the life becomes too complicated. The outcome is depression, anxiety, frustration and aggression, leading to a negative worldview. Things that are happening as a result of this are alarming. According to the World Health Organisation, India ranks second in the number of people committing suicide. Even more interesting is the fact that a large number of those committing suicide are young people who in no way live in penury. Thus, the reasons are not economic.

The answer cannot be found in economics. It lies with psychology — the way we look at the world, the way we live. The essence lies with balance and simplicity. Balance is the core of Gautam Buddha’s philosophy — the middle path. And simplicity is Rabindranath Tagore’s answer to the complexities of life.

With the country celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore, let us take the lesson from him — to embrace simplicity. As the saying goes, “It is very simple to be happy, but very difficult to be simple.” Young people need to understand this. They need to reframe the idea of life. Life is not a struggle as they perceive. Struggle is life.

A short guide to happiness

The 20th century saw an unprecedented growth in science and technology, leading to an economic development not known to humanity before.

Automation and information technology empowered us to have access to everything at the click of the mouse. All these were supposed to make human beings a happier lot, at peace with themselves. Comforts of life and excess of leisure were thought to provide us with happiness and contentment, but the big question is: Has this happened? Though the answer may not be a simple yes or no, the fact is that both material wealth and scientific advancement have failed to provide that state of mind which could be said to make mankind truly happy.

The reason is simple: We look for happiness in the material prosperity which we have acquired, failing to realise the heavy price we have paid for such acquisitions. It is at the cost of peace and happiness. As long as happiness is thought to be contingent upon something, it cannot be achieved. After all, the object with which we link happiness loses its importance the moment we acquire it.

Happiness, it has to be understood, is a state of mind. Whenever we seek happiness in some objects which are in the external world, our craving for that object increases. This craving creates tension, dissatisfaction. But this dissatisfaction or craving doesn’t end with the end of search for a particular object. Rather, after that object is obtained, the search begins for something else. We think that happiness is linked with a particular object, but this is

a mistaken notion. The search for happiness in external objects is like a mirage, which keeps on eluding us. Our plight becomes similar to that of a musk deer which keeps on moving from one shade of grass to another, guided by the fragrance of the musk which is within it and cannot be found outside.

An Italian story, The Happy Man’s Shirt, vindicates this fact rather aptly. It is about a king, Giphad, who ruled a powerful kingdom, loved and adored by his people. Everything was perfect in the kingdom, except his son, Jonash, who was unhappy for no apparent reason. All attempts failed. And in frustration, the king summoned his wise men who suggested that the cure lied in getting the son wear the shirt of a happy man. Thus began the search for a happy man. But it was all futile. From priests to bishops, to even rich traders and kings, all were approached but none thought that he was truly happy.

Desperate, the king went on a hunting trip. In jungle, he heard a whistling tune. Following the sound, the king reached a young shepherd boy, completely at peace with himself. On the king’s query as to what he was doing in the deep forest, the boy said that he was enjoying his life. That dismayed the king. Can someone be truly happy in a jungle? And he further asked, “Are you happy?” The boy said, “Yes, I am always happy.” The king, then, narrated his story and requested the boy to give his shirt for whatever price he wanted. The boy said, “I would be very happy to give my shirt to cure the prince, my lord, but I don’t have a shirt”.

The moral of the story is simple: A shirt (material prosperity) is not — and cannot be — the only prerequisite for being happy.