By : Bedil Sarhadi

 We cannot deny the fact that life is a mystery, which cannot be understood in its entirety. No one fully comprehends the reality of life. It is for this reason that no scientist or thinker has ever been able to define life totally’. Why human life is as it is, no one has been able to answer this vital question. However, this does not mean that owing to such complexities we should shut our eyes to it and attend to day-to-day work half-heartedly. We must not be going to bed at night and rising in the morning as a compulsion or taking bath, eating, drinking or going anywhere as a trouble or feeling jittery while discharging other duties or go on cursing the circumstances throughout life and regarding life as a burden under the impact of material and external circumstances . To go on cursing the circumstances or lead life reluctantly is nothing short of doing injustice to it. To lead life cynically is to render life meaningless.

In the circumstances, if we ponder, we will come to the conclusion that shirking toil or performance of duty is the basic cause of our boredom and depression. Work and toil is in the human nature and when we do not discharge this natural obligation, we feel depressed and bored. The wish to do something can be fulfilled by action only. It will not be out of place to mention here that we should not only do work which we wish to do, but do all jobs with equal interest. In other words, we should do even work thrust on us with interest. In case we develop the habit of doing every work with interest, we can be free from hatred and discontentment, because work in itself brings joy, peace and satisfaction. Performance of work has its own importance in life. By performing one’s work, one’s courage, joy and self-confidence grow. Contrary to this, those who do not work or discharge their duties sincerely, suffer from fear and restlessness. Such people, to whichever strata of society they may belong to, neither succeed not experience peace, happiness and contentment in life.

It is true that human life is a struggle. Both happiness and sorrow are its integral parts. We cannot lead a life free from happiness and sorrow. However, it depends upon us to lead it joyfully or sorrowfully. It is so because to be joyous or sorrowful or happy or unhappy is dependent on our state of mind and not on external circumstances or amenities at our disposal. Despite poverty and hardships, laborers are found to be holly and carefree and unaffected by adversities. In this context, Dale Carnegie had made a significant observation, when he said: If there are two persons and both performing the same kind of job, having equal wealth and enjoying equal respect and prestige in the society, yet, in accordance with their mental attitude, one would be joyous and the other depressed . This means we can be happy even without a change in our work and environment. By changing our mental attitude we can transform sorrow into joy and failures into success; we can cheerfully face obstacles and surmount difficulties that come in our way. All that is needed is to bring about a change in our mental attitude: to think positively. Life is a wall. On one side of it is cool shade and on the other, scorching sun. All that is required is just to walk into the cool shade from the scorching heat. If we learn to lead life like this, it would prove to be a boon of peace and happiness. And such a state can be easily imbibed in the company of the spiritually enlightened.