Everyone I know was profoundly relieved when the
China-India stand-off at Doklam ended last month in a mutual pullback.Many of
us were deeply grateful to Bhutan for standing by India and we longingly
yearned for similarly good relations with our other neighbours. Bhutan has, of
course, become famous for pioneering Gross National Happiness to replace Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of national success. Initially, I was
sceptical if governments could make one happy because happiness seems to be an
`inside job', a matter of personal attitude and domestic circumstances. Most of
us are unhappy because of failed marriages, ungrateful children, losing a
promotion, or even a lack of faith. But now I think Bhutan has a point -a state
which ensures freedom, good governance, jobs, quality schools, healthcare and
absence of corruption can vastly improve the wellbeing of its people.
Not surprisingly, Scandinavians are at the top of
the World Happiness Report 2017. America is ranked 14th and China is at 71.
Surprisingly, happiness hasn't risen in China although income per capita has
multiplied five times since 1990. The reason could be a decline in the social
safety net and recent growth in unemployment. India, alas, lags behind at 122,
behind Pakistan and Nepal.Rankings on many criteria in the report depend on
subjective wellbeing -it would be better to call it a National Wellbeing Report
since happiness is such an individual experience.
Happiness is also a vast industry sitting in the
`Mind, Body, Spirit' section of our bookstores.Ironically, nothing makes me
feel less happy than reading a book on happiness -I conjure up grim images of
smiling hippies, holding hands and chanting `make love, not war'. Unlike the
French aristocracy, which believed that the natural state of man is idleness, I
think passionate work is essential to happiness. One is lucky if one has the
chance to work at something that one enjoys and also what one is good at. I
agree with George Bernard Shaw: `Life isn't about finding yourself, it is about
creating yourself '.
How then does one give purpose to one's work and to
life? To answer this question, I sometimes play this thought game with my
friends: You've just been informed that you have three months to live. After
the initial shock, you ask, how should I spend my remaining days? Should I
finally take a few risks? Should I confess my love to someone I have loved secretly
since childhood? Should I turn to religion? Or learn to listen to the sounds of
silence? How you live in these months is how you should live your life.
Ever since childhood we are told to work hard, get
good marks in school and get into a good college. At the university, we are
pushed to take `useful subjects' rather explore the unknown. We finally land a
reasonable job, marry a suitable partner, live in a nice house and get a nice
car. And we repeat the same process with our young. Then one day in our
forties, we wake up in the morning and ask ourselves, `Is this what life was
all about?' We seem to have stumbled through life, intent on the next
promotion, while life has passed us by.An unfulfilled life is a tragic loss.
No one bothered to teach us the difference between
`making a living' and `making a life.' No one encouraged us to find a passion.
We were not exposed to choices in different fields. We did not read the great
books of the humanities which portray struggles of men to create meaning in their
lives. Very few are lucky to be a Mozart, who found a passion for music at the
age of three. The way to tell you have found passionate work is when it doesn't
feel like `work'. Time gets distorted and suddenly it's evening and you forgot
to eat lunch. You were in the `zone' as the athletes call it.
My ideal of happiness is consistent with Krishna's
idea of karma yoga in the Gita. Instead of detaching oneself from work, Krishna
advises us to act desirelessly, which means not to seek personal credit or reward
from one's work. When I am absorbed in passionate work, I find that my ego
tends to disappear. Passionate, self-forgetting work is of high quality because
you are not distracted by the ego. This is my recipe for making a life, and it
is also the secret of happiness.
