Happiness is like a Building

Happiness may be com

pared to a building that stands on four pillars. The first pillar is work towards self-improvement. The second is work for a livelihood, third is work of service and the fourth and most important one is love of God or if one is an atheist, love of the world and universe outside of us. For some humans the structure of happiness stands only on one, two or three pillars. It tends to be a weak structure. It may fall down on its own or with a gust of breeze. Persons who put up this structure on all four pillars build a strong foundation for their happiness that weathers most any storm.

Self improvement implies, cleanliness, honesty and moral behavior, being careful about diet and exercise, eliminating bad habits, improving our living space, friends etc. It implies eliminating lust devoid of reciprocal love, anger and greed from our deeds, speech and thoughts. Working for our livelihood means working sincerely in whatever occupation we may be placed in and incase no occupation is available because of unemployment, to create our own by manufacturing, trading, farming or repairing etc. Service means helping others in whatever way we can - other humans, animals and nature. Just planting a tree on a barren piece of land is service to nature. Helping the poor, sick and handicapped persons is another great service. The last but most important of these pillars is the love of God. There are many reasons why the love of God leads to happiness. One of them is best elaborated in the following description by the greatest of scientists - Albert Einstein,

“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

This freeing of the self leads to contentment that is only a stepping stone to great happiness. In fact, the description of Einstein helps explain the other pillars as well – service to mankind, all living creatures and nature besides working for one’s own self. The remaining pillar, that of self-improvement too leads to the same goal, because if we do not take care of the tools immediately available to us – our own emotional state, mind and body – then we cannot get very far in anything. Can we?

Once we have erected our building of happiness on these four pillars it will be a strong one. If it stands only on three pillars a strong gust of wind may knock it down. If it stands only on two it will not last long and if we attempt to erect it on just one then it will fall as soon as we erect it. If we attempt to make a building with none of these pillars then whatever we install will come crashing down on our head as soon as we attempt to put it up.