Contentment and Satisfaction..

Sounds like simple things in life. Yet, the most difficult ones to attain.

The other day I read this quote on my friend’s profile. “Until you make peace with who you are… you’ll never be content with what you have”. Quite thought provoking indeed. Even if I get a five digit pay check a month, I wonder when would it grow more. Even I am blessed with decent looks, I look in mirror and check when would I do an Aishwarya Rai. Even as I enjoy a good social position, I look at my neighbor and feel a twinge of jealousy.. Rings familiar, isn’t it? The comparisons never stop and I guess we are engineered in a way to breed greed. We just want more and things got to get better!

At times I wonder where would this race to nowhere lead to? In the rush for making life king size in maddening pace, have you ever felt stifled due to lack of space? I just don’t want ot wake up ten years down the lane and wonder if all those things that I ran behind collecting had made the journey worthwhile.

I have always remembered this saying of my mom during my childhood. She used to say that always check what you feel is dissatisfaction or jealousy. Jealousy degrades character where as dissatisfaction motivates one to do better. Somehow that saying became my standard since school days where the maddening race of comparison with peers could drive one crazy. I have always felt that contentment and self assurance are quite related. Unless I am prepared to stand for what I believe and accept what I am, I would never be content with what I have. My 25 paise.

Being Rich in True Sense..

Through a lot of discussions I had, I came to wonder what’s being rich? Is being rich means having loads of material wealth, most of which you don’t really put to use? Is rich means having a lot of comfort in life that everything comes to your footsteps and you don’t even move your body? Or is being rich means being in content with what one has, having the ability to say enough, enjoying little things of life, having a rich inner life which is reflected through outward actions? Somehow, I find myself being evaluated on the kind of possessions or money I possess rather than the kind of individual I am. Does this really have meaning for me? Somehow, being rich for me is having self-worth which is not affected by an alien, having the courage and confidence to stand for one’s values and the ability to make a positive difference in the world through a meaningful existence. As Gandhi says, ” Nature provides for everyone’s need, not greed”.. I muse on the meaning of being rich if it doesn’t lead to an enriching life.