INTRODUCTION
To my surprise, he returned from the rich dinner very unhappy. I wanted to know the reason. He explained to me: If only you had seen the luxury they are living in a splendid villa, rich food, luxurious furniture, servants and a fleet of cars! It makes me feel extremely miserable".
"But, is he enjoying his life?" I asked, "Is he really happy?"
"As far as I know", he replied a little pacified," he is not enjoying the luxuries of his life. He wishes he could eat ordinary food, even bread, even though he loses all his wealth."
"So you are much richer and happier than he is", I said. "Your health is a greater wealth than those luxuries which have made you so depressed. Wealth alone does not give happiness. You will not sell one finger or eye of yours or your appetite for all his riches or cam!"
I saw the tears of satisfaction and gratefulness shine in his eyes.
"Thank Allah! Thank Allah!" He said.
Very often man meets with incidents and situations in his life that make him unhappy. Later, when, he recovers his consciousness and reflects on such incidents and situations, he finds that his unhappiness was simply a reaction, and that man can react differently, achieving thereby a higher a degree of stability and tolerance if he is able to cope with the situation.
A neighbour of the wellknown German Philosopher Immanuel Kant (17241804) had a cock whose crowing annoyed him and distracted him from his work. When he got fed up with the cock, he sent his servant to buy it and slaughter it for his meal. He invited a friend of his to the meal and both of them sat waiting for lush. He talked to his friend about the cock and the annoyance it used to cause and described the peace and happiness he was enjoying after he had got rid of the cock�s crowing. When the servant brought in the food he explained that their neighbour refused to sell his cock and so he purchased one from the market. Kant became suddenly conscious of the fact the cock was still crowing.
Thinking of this wellknown philospher, I found that he felt miserable because of the cock�s cry, and he also felt happy although the cock was still crowing. Nothing had changed; the change was inside him. It was the inner man, not the cock, that made him happy or unhappy!
I sleep in my house, not disturbed by the rolling noise of cars and their horns in the street nor by salesmen�s loud voices. Yet, the sound of a footstep or a whisper inside my bedroom would wake me. If I sleep in the train, even the talk of those sitting next to me will not disturb my sleep. What makes me endure the rumbling noises of cars and salesmen, or the train, though a whisper or footstep would rouse me from my sleep?
It is because sensation is like a light which, when on, makes things around you visible whether they are pleasing or displeasing to you, and when it is off you fail to hear the noises in the street tough they are louder. In fact, you heard the low whisper in your bedroom because you directed your sensation and attention to it; while you missed other sounds because you kept them out of your perception despite their loudness, so they disappear, as do big things in darkness.
Why not divert your attention and sensation from all discomforts of life? Not all discomforts penetrate into your heart. Only what YOU allow into your heart willingly will enter, like a king who allows the enemy into his fortress by leaving a hole in its walls. So why not strengthen and fortify ourselves against pains and discomforts?
Two men of equal physical strength may carry the same load: the first may complain as if he carried double weight; while the other may laugh and sing as if he carried nothing.
Two men of similar physique may suffer from the same illness: one may react pessimistically and always imagine death, thereby increasing illness:
While the other may endure patiently, feel optimistic and expect sooner recovery, thereby expediting good health.
Bismark, the man of iron and blood, genius of war and peace, could not give up smoking for one moment; he used to light one cigarette from another all the day. Without smoking, he was not able to think, plan or take appropriate action. Once, while in war, he found only one cigarette in his pocket, so he put off smoking it to the time hardship. He waited for a full week without smoking, entertaining the hope of using this cigarette in time. He realized that he was able to do without smoking all this time. He decided to stop smoking for good because he did not want his happiness to be dependent on a single cigarette.
Imagine a man whose body was exhausted with illness, and that suddenly he noticed a snake crawling towards him and at once jumped out of his bed as if he were full of health and vigour... or a man who returned home exhausted with hunger and looking only for a chair to rest on when he received a call from a dear person saying he was coming, or an urgent letter from the Minister calling him with the news of promotion, he would feel lighthearted and full up and would hurry up to the station in the former or to the Minister�s office in the latter.
Such powers are the source of happiness!