It’s actually the easiest thing to do. Being happy for others for a change. Oftentimes on the day-to-day, we becoming so obsessed with looking out for anything that would please us and make us ‘feel complete’. Even as many insist it is only natural to look out for yourself, it’s actually this kind of introspection which deadens whatever empathy we can have for those around us.
Even on a scale of one is to three, with two for yourself and one for the next person, try to notice how different is the satisfaction one feels when you cause happiness in other people. Perhaps the simplest example of this is whenever you hand a small child a toy or sweets. Nothing beats that feeling of seeing them smile genuinely in the pure satisfaction only an innocent can render.
On the weekend before last, the three of us (big family huh) were at a fun run event and while there, we bought a buy-one-take-one box of energy bars. After the event, we proceeded to King Chow for a late breakfast and right near the entrance, there sat a pale, disheveled person with a plastic cup in one hand. I took out two bars from the box and handed it to the surprised old man. The instant smile I got in return said it all: leave out negative thoughts like, this is how mendicancy starts or handing dole-outs is a ‘plastic’ gesture, the truth is, effecting happiness in others also causes a positive feel in you.
If one hasn’t noticed it yet, sour-graping in socmed appear as common as the selfie. One only has to look into the comments on the threads to see if this isn’t really happening. This type of schadenfreude, feeling happy at other people’s failures, while under the surface for so long, has sprung forth as though in triumph, with the advent of social media. It’s as if this rawness were inborn and common with everyone. Because of this, a cloud of doubt has begun to hover over every ‘like’ or ‘love’, bringing one to ask if they are really sincere.
Even at the expense of regarding this idea as the most idealistic et unrealistic of all, why not stop the hate for a change and genuinely be happy for others even for a weekend?
