How to achieve happiness?

Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri

Happiness has remained an elusive concept over the centuries. Philosophers,

religious scholars, sociologists, and academicians have held out their opinions
and tried to define what happiness is. Some regard it as a material thing for
which material possessions have been identified as a means to achieve
happiness. Others are of the view that happiness has nothing to do with material
pursuits. Rather it is a moral or a spiritual phenomenon which one can acquire
by doing right things. Despite these definitions and explorations, the idea is as
Greek as it was before. 

However, if you want to be happy but are not sure where to start, then I suggest
you to begin by being kinder. Acts of giving will boost your well being as well
as offer something good to the recipient and the world at large. Furthermore,
these acts can take many forms and so you can do something that suits you
personally. For instance, you can do voluntary work for a philanthropist
organisation; you can do good deeds in your neighbourhood, for friends, family,
work colleagues, strangers. 

Happiness lies in giving to others. When you stop thinking about yourself, it is
then the journey to happiness starts. Our focal point is always “I” or”me”. These
two words are actually the root cause of much of our sadness we suffer from.
Whenever we run after something to achieve, it runs away even faster from us.
But when we decide to turn our back on our sought-after pursuits, those things
would come for us. This is the law of nature, which is immutable and never
changes.

If real happiness could be achieved by h aving lots of money and concentrating

power, the kings would never have left their thrones in search of happiness.
Buddha, Ashoka, Ibraham bin Adham are few examples from the history who
abandoned their exalted positions to find solace and happiness. They found
happiness once they started serving the poor and the needy of God’s creations.

The happiest time of our life lies in our childhood. As we grow in terms of age,
our desires grow as well. When desires are not fulfilled, their unfulfillment
brings sadness in our life. In order to acquire eternal happiness, we need to get
rid of our desires. That is why it is said, best state to go back to God is the state
in which you were born. That state is the state when one is innocent with one’s
soul untainted by the worldly desires. You don’t just have to do volunteer work
to be a kinder person. Remember you can carry out good deeds on a daily basis,
in your home or at work. You can do something for people you don’t know. Try
to give people the benefit of the doubt. Let them make creative mistakes and
learn for the sake of personal growth. Offer genuine compliments. Give small
gifts. Plan something special for a loved one. Share your possessions without
getting uptight about them.

A truly generous person does good deeds without expecting anything in return.
So don’t do it just for the praise. However, what you will get in return is greater
happiness. There is also something known as the feel-good, do-good
phenomenon, where being happy inclines a person to be more generous, which
in turn brings greater happiness.

The way to transform happiness from individual level to the collective

phenomenon is to make efforts aimed at making your country and society
welfare-oriented. One can start this endeavour from the grassroots level by
establishing welfare committees and keep on expanding its ambit. It calls for
establishment of systems and arrangements for doing good to people in an
institutionalized manner. That is why the Muslims of the sub-continent rendered
numerous sacrifices for Pakistan under the inspiring leadership of the Quaid-e-
Azam. Let us resolve to make Pakistan a modern welfare-oriented country as
per the dreams of our founding fathers.