Meaning Of Happiness
evawhite on September 24th, 2008
Don’t we all strive to be happy? It could be something as simple as a loving hug from a dear one or sipping a cup of coffee sitting in your own garden. For some people the meaning of happiness may be a beautiful, big car or a financial security or a major award. Did you ever asked yourself what are the things that are important for you to be happy? Is it a loving family, a good job, lots of money, lots of possessions, lots of friends, emotional satisfaction?
To my mind, happiness is about you and the people dear to you being in a state of peace, of contentment and satisfaction. I think that contentment is the first step to happiness; which is not an absence of ambition, mind (without ambition there is stagnation). It is rather an absence of envy or a ceaseless striving for the unattainable. If you think that you would be happy, if only you were better looking or thinner or whatever other goal you have, then you would be wrong, because happiness is about a state of contentment or satisfaction with what we have or what we are reasonably likely to achieve. Good health is another component of happiness. Very often we forget to appreciate this simple gift which can make us happy.
In fact in a survey of 90 countries conducted, it was found that Denmark was the happiest country in the world and that happiness owed itself largely to the levels of good health in the country. It is useless to deny that prosperity is an indicator of happiness. After all starving in the garret is rarely conducive to a happy state of mind. So prosperity and education were the next determinants of happiness in the survey. These results of Denmark being the happiest has a lot to do with excellent governance: the health care and educations system is fully taken care of by the government, as is care of the elderly.
One Danish garbage collector who was interviewed, Jan Dion says he’s an eight out of 10 in terms of happiness. He said he doesn’t mind collecting garbage for a living, because he works just five hours in the morning and then can spend the rest of the day at home with family or coaching his daughter’s handball team. Dion says no one judges his choice of career and he actually loves what he does because he has many friends along his route. It makes him happy when he sees the children who wave to him and the old ladies who bring him cups of coffee.
So what is your happiness indicator?
Spiritual clothing is making headway around the world these days. Personally I didn’t see what the big deal was about; it seems like just fashion hype. With the many things being either ‘in’ or ‘out’ this was another thing which being ‘in’ now would soon be ‘out’ before you get to the store. I did however give it some thought and found that there was some sense to it. The hype and commercialisation of it all is a turn off to many, spirituality is not about commercialisation, but isn’t it?
Spiritual leaders have been consistently trying to bring spirituality to the masses in numerous ways. Why not in clothing as well? Spirituality is about one’s state of mind, their state of being and their lifestyles. Now the mind being the most important part of it all, if by wearing spiritual clothing it makes you in a sense calmer, makes you feel more in touch with yourself, then why not? Everyone needs different things motivating them to get in touch with their inner self. For the fashion conscious if it means wearing so called spiritual clothing then good!
Once the state of mind becomes calmer, or for the time someone is wearing such clothes one becomes more receptive to the world around them. By not wearing anything high fashion their lifestyles are more unfussy wearing these simple clothing. In the fashion world there is this saying “You wear what you are.” So by wearing spiritual clothing if it makes someone feel spiritual so be it! That is a step towards spirituality.
It is an effort to condition the mind. The saints and spiritual leaders all wore different clothing. For example, you wear a cop’s uniform, you feel authoritative suddenly don’t you? Likewise if wearing spiritual clothing makes you feel spiritual it’s great. If you like the experience of being calmer, meditative then you will naturally move towards a more spiritual life.
