I have been noticing commercials on TV and paper that say products and services deliver happiness. They claim that by buying a house you are buying happiness. They claim that by buying a diamond necklace you are buying happiness. They say that by buying a car you would drive home happiness. One question to you all... Does happiness come with a price tag? How could these people make a mockery out of us and make us look genuinely idiotic? How can we accept that happiness can be bought at a price? If these morons are right then the world should be filled with very very very happy people. And I don't think that's the case. What are we teaching our children and the generations to come? That happiness lies in a car? If you study hard to earn lots of money and buy lots of things we will permanently have happiness at home? As adults we have the responsibility to set high standards for ourselves. We cannot accept being mediocre. True, we need a roof over our heads and we crave certain luxuries when we reach certain levels in our career and we want to give our children a better life. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. At the same time, we need to teach them how to be compassionate. And by teaching I mean setting examples. I was watching a commercial on TV about World Giving Week. A child is walking to school with his mom and he notices a homeless little boy sitting on the pavement. This boy keeps looking at the homeless child even after he walks past him. Then he runs to the child and gives him a candy that he had in his pocket. This made both the children happy and they are smiling at each other. Probably one of the best ads I ve seen in a long time and I am sure that everyone who had watched this ad would agree with me. That is genuine happiness. That happiness will stay with us for a long long time. That genuine happiness is what we are all capable of. Little acts of random kindness in our day to day lives makes us look up at ourselves. A little pep talk to a friend who is feeling low. Stopping for pedestrians to cross the road. Holding the door of a supermarket for someone behind you. Offering a helping hand to someone in need. Volunteering at a local hospital. Donating old clothes and blankets to a orphanage near by. All I am saying is that we do not need to be full time social workers in order to be compassionate. All of us think about such things and a majority of us do not go forward and do these things in our day to day lives. Being compassionate is much needed for a healthier and happier lifestyle. Lets spread good cheer and happiness this festive season!!
