What is that one thing for which we strive for in life? Our goal in life?

Everyone of you give a long list of items such as big bank balance, beautiful and graceful spouse / children, property, business, cars, traveling, adventures, status, security, self esteem etc.

The next question for which we need to have these items above ?

Then refined answer comes “Happiness & calm in life”.

First we look at if these time could give us happiness and calm. But if think about personalities in the past who have committed suicide many of them were billionaire superstars of media, artists, singers, political leaders have almost all the material things we desire to have in life. Not going too far current statistics of developed nations shows overwhelming number of suicides per year about 31000 in Japan in 2011 where per capital income and standard of living is among of highest in the world.

So why these material things presence not prevent those people to take their lives. The answer is simple, These things do not give you happiness. So what gives you happiness and calm is to be answered.

The first thing to bring happiness and calm is to have balance in every role you have to play in life. Yes,  you  have different roles to play in your life just like a drama articles.the different roles might be of husband / wife, brother / friend, colleagues, boss / employees citizen, community, your own, neighbors etc. Every role has rights and obligations to be performed with limited time and resources available you need to have balance in them such that every role is performed satisfied. If any of the role is ignored or mismanaged / sacrificed for others, no matter how good are in other roles and out matter how big you have material thing, you cannot get happiness. On close analyzing the famous / rich people who have committed suicide you will find that they have ignored one or more roles in their life. Some may be good at profession but do miserable with their marital life. Some have issues with friends & children etc.

Therefore in order to have happiness all the roles should be balanced in life.

The next thing to understand is that man is made of two parts body and spirit. In the above example we have seen that material things we are striving for does not give happiness. This is because all these thing fulfill need of our body.

But question arises that about spiritual needs?

Can they be fulfilled by these material things? No, because if they fulfill the people who have suicide thing not have committed suicide. So we understand now that spiritual needs cannot be fulfilled through material things of world. Spiritual needs are fulfilled by doing righteous in this world keeping in mind the reward we will get in the life here after. So the spiritual needs are fulfilled in consideration of life hereafter. But how the rewards of life hereafter becomes source of happiness when we compare it to the world.

Material things we are striving for take a hypothetical example of looking first at our earth. Its huge, long distances, rivers mountains, a big thing to imagine and discover.But when we look at the universe its galaxies, stars, distances; our world become immaterial, nothing worthless.

Save is the case with this life and hereafter when we compare both, the permanent rewards, peace and happiness of life hereafter with troubles hardship and small material thing of the world life. The world life become meaningless and we are ready to face its hardship, miseries of this world.

If someone have done bad to us or have taken away our resources, we don’t care about it because we hope we all get a better one in the hereafter 🙂