By: RAYEES AHMAD KUMAR
People are generally not content with what they have. Instead, they run after what they do not have. Because of this mentality, everyone is leading a life that is rife with discontent. Someone who appears to be very fortunate, someone whom others envy, is actually as discontented as those who envy him.
Everyone has received some or the other blessing. But if a person lacks gratitude, he will be constantly attracted to what he does not have, while considering the blessings that he does have to be of no value. In such a case, he cannot experience gratitude to God. He is denied the most important thing that he should nourish in his heart.
God has made this world in such a way that here complete comfort and ease are not possible for anyone. If you run away from a place because of some problem there and go to another place, you will soon discover that there, too, problems exist. If a poor man has problems, a rich man has problems, too. If an unemployed person has problems, so, too, does a powerful man. In this world that has been made as a testing-ground, no one at all is exempt from problems. Given this, what you should do is to face the problems that you are confronted with and carry on with your onward journey. Your sole concern should be to acquire God’s pleasure, and not to become the master of a problem-free life, because that is simply not possible before the life Hereafter.
So we must shun this attitude and mentality of acquiring as much worldly luxuries and articles as we can. Instead we must remain contented with what we are possessing. Happiness and an everlasting pleasure can’t be achieved merely by gathering all physical comforts, accumulating huge wealth and striving to be powerful than his fellows but by being contented with what one has already in his kitty. Happiness, peace of mind and a good sleep can’t be bought from any market even by solding your all balances and properties instead these blessings which we value very less can only be acquired by being contented and expressing gratitude to almighty. A large chunk of wealthy and rich people possessing every thing they need in life from a decent house to a comfortable vehicle are very poor only because they lack peace of mind, pleasure and suffer from insomnia.
And there have been people also whom we regard even below the poverty line but they are richer than the formers because they are contented with what possess, they are happy with their little earnings and live a princely life. They do have peace of mind, sleep well in their own poorer homes but more gladly than even the kings and enjoy the life more than their royal counterparts. If we read and analyse the life history of our saints and noble souls we reach the conclusion that an everlasting pleasure can only be acquired in contentment rather in more wealth and richness. Living the life of simplicity, spending not beyond your earnings and being contented with your sources can make you a powerful, happier and a noble person. In our day to day life we see people running a rat race of gathering huge wealth by whatever means just to impress their fellows, spend money unnecessarily on marriages and other functions of their children though not affording and even admit the wards in costly coaching and academy centres only for the show. It doesn’t bring them any ease in their lives rather more impediments and difficulties stand in their ways of living a prosperous life.The dividends we get in simplicity can never be achieved through a competitive mentality of acquiring what we lack and what our relatives, friends and neighbours possess. A great number of families have been destroyed, carear of hundreds of children has been ruined and future of our youth too has been put at stake by the parents only due to this game of discontentment. Sometimes brilliant and genius persons manage to get an ordinary class 3rd or 4th job and when they see high profile chairs and offices being held by the obtuse and dull persons, instead of being patient they become the victims of discontentment.
With the result they suffer from depression, lack interests in life and make their own as well as their parent’s life discolored. Similarly men having big businesses and occupying vast lands and other properties, still feel displeasure for want of a meagre government job. Trying to imitate the life style of others, feeling envy at their bigger possessions or status and feeling disgusted with one’s own self can only shatter his dreams and ruin his future. The only way instead to get some relief and feel pleased is to be contented with both your possessions and status. Society must also play it’s positive role in shaping up and bringing the desired changes in the community. It shouldn’t give respect and honour to people merely for their bigger possessions and status rather their service for community and humanity. It hardly makes a person respectable in the society who owns big shopping malls, big businesses or industries/factories and holds higher rank in government but the one feeling the pain of his fellow beings and keeping himself always ready for social service and help of the people is really entitled for the honour and respect. When society stops respecting people merely for their possession and status rather honour people on their merit and integrity, definitely their will be a change in the thoughts of the people. They won’t feel discontented for being lesser rich, occupying lower status and being economically weak but they will get pleasure in living their own life of austerity free from mental burdens and societal chains.
Writer is a columnist and hails from Qazigund Kashmir.
