It is something we do often. We label an end and forget about it. What do you want? Money. Success. Happiness. Peace. Wealth. Harmony. Having used the word we settle back pleased that we have fixed our noble targets somewhere. This is what I want!
But the key really is to find out what those words mean to us. What does happiness mean or what does money mean or what does success mean to you?
Take money for instance. To some it could be a billion, to others a million, to some others thousands. But at what stage, at what number, does "money' really mean what it means to you. If we could say a steady supply of Rs. 1 lakh a month or a one time bounty of Rs. 10 lakh is what 'money' means to you, then we have some meaning to the words.
Or take success. It could be a job position, a car, a house, a way of dressing, a lifestyle with all the gadgets or anything else. But unless we can sit with ourselves and see what it means to us really, we are not saying anything. If success is having a Mercedes, a duplex apartment ins some swanky area, a club membership, foreign vacations etc then we have some meaning to that word.
Or happiness. From sitting under a tree, to retiring, to working with children, working on a dream project, to being with friends - it could be anything. We are mouthing words that don't mean anything. We need to find out what those words mean to us to actually get there. These meanings are our own!
But the key really is to find out what those words mean to us. What does happiness mean or what does money mean or what does success mean to you?
Take money for instance. To some it could be a billion, to others a million, to some others thousands. But at what stage, at what number, does "money' really mean what it means to you. If we could say a steady supply of Rs. 1 lakh a month or a one time bounty of Rs. 10 lakh is what 'money' means to you, then we have some meaning to the words.
Or take success. It could be a job position, a car, a house, a way of dressing, a lifestyle with all the gadgets or anything else. But unless we can sit with ourselves and see what it means to us really, we are not saying anything. If success is having a Mercedes, a duplex apartment ins some swanky area, a club membership, foreign vacations etc then we have some meaning to that word.
Or happiness. From sitting under a tree, to retiring, to working with children, working on a dream project, to being with friends - it could be anything. We are mouthing words that don't mean anything. We need to find out what those words mean to us to actually get there. These meanings are our own!
2 comments:
I completely agree. A car for example, might be used in a variety of ways. To increase work done (productivity), to increase entertainment or leisure options, or a hundred other things. Are we doing with everything we have what we could to increase happiness? Or haven't we even got around to defining what it is for us? Good question.
Raja,
Glad you agree. I remember one student telling me confidently that money is all he wanted and lots of it in a lecture. All else is secondary he said. I told him that if I were to give him a blank cheque for whatever amount he wanted. But in return he would have to do all that I tell him with no questions asked (book idea!!), would he do it? He backtracked quickly and said that he would do it only if it was legal only. It did warrant a correction in his 'end' - that he wanted money earned legally and that allowed him to use his sense of discretion. I think prodded sufficiently most kids can get their thought process right (before they go out and mess things up with confused signals.)
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