Sometimes I sit back and think. We say that our childhood memories just pass off or many a times we also say or differentiate our thoughts as Childish’ or ‘immature’. But isn’t it really funny that our mind always believe to reach the 3rd stage of the fairy tales heard long ago, which concludes with the wonderful phrase – Lived happily ever after?
That small line read or heard plays such an important role in our lives till today. Even after realizing so many times that we may never reach that particular stage while we walk on this earth, our hopes never die. Like Hans Christian Andersen says, “Every man’s life is a fairy-tale written by God’s fingers”.

When I was studying in the tenth standard, the examinations were the only big task that was in front of my eyes. It was the first board examination I was facing and was quite tensed about the way to prepare, to write and so on. As the examinations approached, I and my classmates were busy with the revisions and group studies. So at this time, my parents or friends used to say ‘Soon after the exams you all are free, you can just enjoy, and there would be nothing to bother you all again’ and the excitement of completing the examination stayed only till the day of the results, and then it was admissions, next exams and even now its not the end of exams. I am still thinking that when I complete my education and settle down in a good job, I can live happily without tension.

But here again, I met a successful engineer who works for a reputed multi national company – Wipro with a fair 6 digit salary. He looked pink in health and happiness. While I was talking to him, I question him about how happy and satisfying he finds his life. His raised his eyebrows to answer a major part of my question. He said ‘Life can never be smooth. When I was studying, I thought, if I struggle now I’ll get a good job and then I’ll be happy. Later I got a job with comparatively lesser salary, I wanted more. Now I do have good salary but still, I want to grow. Oh! Don’t ask me, I have a lot of tensions of my own. Yes, still I feel, if I get married and have a life partner to share all my smiles and tears, may be I’ll be happy.’

Then I met a priest and asked him the same question. He showed me someone’s grave in the cemetery and said, “That is what is called lived happily ever after, when you go to heaven”. I asked many people this question and every one had their own answers which gave more or less the same meaning – they are not so happy but they hope for happiness tomorrow.

This was strange as nobody seems to be happy in their lives without worries but still we believe in ‘better tomorrows’. But when tomorrow comes, we again work for a better tomorrow yet again. Sometimes life gets so very difficult and so very hectic we feel like running to hunt for a piece of place to find serenity. Some cowards even take the decision of committing suicide when they feel that they cannot take it any longer. That is why may be Robert Louis Stevenson said – “Under the wide starry sky, Dig the grave and let me Die”

The best way to live life is to accept that we have to struggle till death and enjoy every moment’s happiness. Like Alfred Lord Tennyson puts it “There is not to make a reply, there is not to reason why, there is but to do and die”. Yes happiness is not found at the end of the road. It must me savored along the way. Then life becomes worth living. When you are enjoying in a roller coaster, close your eyes and enjoy the fun. Why should you think of your work pressures and family problems? If you feel like dancing to the beats of Ricky Martin this weekend, why should you put off the music?
All I am saying is – do not postpone your happiness. We have twenty four hours in a day and it is enough for everything. You can even save time to sit and worry about your entire problems. It is not possible to ‘live happily ever after’ but it is of course possible to be happy for a few days or at least a few minutes. Worries will certainly not add an hour to our lives nor would tears solve all the problems. It is all about the way one sees life and organizes it.

I would like to share something that happened in class recently which inspired me to write this article. We all might have had value education class when we were in the school and I had it too. At that time, we had been taught to draw a small hut with visible bricks and on every brick we were supposed to write a value of life like faith, hope, etc. But here, it was a free class that day and I was reminded of that value education class. I took a book and a pencil and drew a hut with visible bricks, but with a little more matured thoughts than a school kid, I also drew a foundation to my hut and wrote ‘love’ on it. I thought ‘love’ was the foundation to build any house. Then I continued writing all the values, but forgot to write ‘peace’ and I was left with no brick to write that. Dharmik, my friend who was sitting beside me took another pencil and drew a cloud on the top of the hut I had drawn and wrote peace on it, which means that we cannot reach peace and it won’t reside in any House’s brick. That is how we are introduced to peace and that is how we are designed to experience peace. Clouds do fall on us as rain but only for sometime.

Vibha Luvenia M
B.Sc. Biotechnology