Secret to Happiness

One day after a stressed out shift, I decided to take a drive to my favorite coffee shop. Gazing through the window of the car, my eyes caught a glimpse of a destitute and scanty clad man. I believe he was insane. There was a Trash bin on the pavement and he was inspecting it deeply stooping towards its inner side. He was pulling out the garbage and was gulping the left over of food found in it.

For a moment, I was shocked to see the ghastly plight of that man. I wondered the whole day long, why is it that the curse of poverty has stricken some human beings on earth. Why is it that no human has the power to eradicate poverty?

The terrible thought brooded over all day long. Contemplating over it the whole night, I dozed being weary at dawn. 

The next day, I was conversing with a friend of mine in US. He said, "Oh Remya, I'm all sad and depressed". His girl friend ditched him a day ago and he feels heart broken. Being sumptuous, he was yelling out that he was aloof and devoid of love and care. I consoled him to the best as I can.

Abrupt lightning of thoughts ran through my mind. Vision of the destitute man struck like a hard blow. Its time, I wake up and make my friend realize that he should no more be sad. .

I asked him three questions:
1. Are you naked?
2. Can't you afford meals three times a day?
3. Do you have a shelter to protect yourselves from heat and rain?.

"I'm wearing the best outfit which commoners can't afford", that was his answer for my first question. As of for your second and third question, "Yes I can afford to eat anything I want and I live in a spacious condo". "Why do you ask such irrelevant questions to me now?” he was fretting and fuming over my words. 

I said, "Calm down and relax dear". I wanted you to realize that how God is taking care of you so well. He asked, "But how?" “Listen”, I said in a subtle tone, "Can't you afford to have the best clothes, best cuisines and best abode?” "Do you have any sickness/diseases tormenting you?” "Don't you travel around in a luxury car?”

Whenever you are sad, think of those classes of people who are impoverished, under privileged and fighting with their sickness to live a healthy life. Think think and think of those people begging on streets to eat a meal for the day, the ones laboring in scorching heat and chilling winter to earn their daily bread, ones sleeping in parks and on pavements since they don't own a shelter to rest their head.

Gasping a sigh of relief, my friend said, "You helped me the best way to overcome such hard time I had. I feel so HAPPY now. Thanks Remya!!!". Yes, this is true and what I have written is applicable for all those human beings sad for silly reasons.

My secret to "HAPPINESS" is that I think of people who are suffering, destitute and poverty-stricken, whenever I feel sad. In a jiffy, I will be happy because, I am so grateful to GOD for giving me everything I want in life and keeping me alive, safe and secure in this cruel world. Try to help the poor, needy, be compassionate to the weary and over burdened fellow human beings in this world so that for every virtue of yours, you will receive abundant blessings from GOD and will feel the real happiness.