Choosing Unhappiness

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty

What holds life together? A few rituals, habit patterns woven into routines, emotions feeding on agreeable words from near and dear ones, random thoughts moving around the epicenter of faith- a faith in a succession of tomorrows crowding in to prolong desires, or just a body-mind play of biotic inevitability? But those who run away from desires, renounce all agreeable, pleasurable things available around without effort, and focus on something impalpable, abstract and unrealizable in breathing life - they too think  they are alive and hold their lives together. Desire and pursuits of pleasure: desirelessness and pursuit of abstractions are also life. The indulgent man absorbing all contrarian ethics and the men of irritable temper rejecting almost all nuances of logic live lives and both, I’m sure, live an allotted life span. So, how can we assess what makes life worthy? And here is the rub: who determines worthiness and why should man bother about it?

All regional diversities notwithstanding, man has always questioned the available value systems of life. Should life be lived for greater joy and comfort in the other world? It means abstinence; giving up and withdrawal from one’s own reality for a future paradise. It means abnegation of self for values unseen but hoped for. It means self created unhappiness by rejecting what is real as unworthy of life. Jimmy Porters (Look Back In Anger) of the world always laugh mockingly at what others practice with some faith.  Jimmy could have had the satisfaction of feeding good sweets to Londoners. He could have earned more money and reputation as a Mithaiwala. But he thought he was ill placed, much below for his qualification. Why didn’t he do something else instead of turning a cynical eye at everything, thereby roughing up the smooth contours of other lives? If it was a forced choice he should not have submitted to it if his abilities deserved something better. But no, he chooses to be unhappy. So are many in the world who choose to be unhappy. Some people try to walk on water, fire and nails just to demonstrate that they are superior to others. Such vain obsessions make lives lived in vain. But before we condemn such people and others who in dreaming of Utopia lose their reality, we must ask the oft asked question: Is there any purpose in life?

Right through human civilization of the past 4000 years purpose, worth and other related questions have been asked. Philosophers and religious thinkers have given their answers. Prescriptions have come from life-doctors. Today with the growth of population such doctors too have increased in numbers. But whose ‘purpose’ defines life and makes it worth following? All political parties give meaning and purpose to life and compete with each other for survival. Isms in philosophy, religion, ethics, politics have given man more pain. These have made life difficult which otherwise is a very simple proposition.

Man mercifully is mortal. He is not born fully packaged as did Draupadi. From birth to early youth the human child is to be looked after. Naturally this involves the service of a mother and a provider like father. Then he works (or should work) to survive. He takes upon himself, that is, he chooses to raise a family as a responsible man. He has to adjust himself with the competing forces for his survival. Why then clatter his mind with so many mutually exclusive ideals like god and devil, good and evil, freedom and slavery. Leave him to his own devices. Man is born with native intelligence. He can take detours if he sees danger on the way. Why ask him to go in a particular way? Happiness is a state, which all ideals believe, comes in the end. But in the end only death comes closing all reckoning. By preaching and teaching we condition the human mind to unipolar ways of thinking. Man can choose what to do when the going gets tough. Since man has survived and grown (despite or because of) – all teachings, let him now breathe freely.

We choose one form of unhappiness in preference to its rivals, for, by limiting life to one ideal we suffer the rigours of the ideal. Nature and life are vast and various. Freedom of choice is nature’s only message and training. Let man choose his own unhappiness that is the consequences of his choice. I have seen that any choice, a religious practice, a political party or social group or a lover you choose unhappiness in the name of happiness. If happiness does not become the goal of any choice at least the consequential suffering will be less painful, as it is self chosen.