Essays

I consider 'success' as the success in the business of living; in other words, how to live a successful life.

For most people, money and material gains seem to be the most, if not the only important thing in life. They go out to make as much money as they can. Millions play the 5-digit lottery, horse-racing and other forms of gambling, both legal and illegal. Yet others work themselves to death, slogging day in and day out for the financial gains promised. Some of them do become very rich indeed. They go around in huge gleaming cars and live in palatial houses and studio apartments. They are members of select clubs, wear designer clothes and generally look every inch the kind of successful people so often idolized on television.

Rich they may be and successful they seem, no one knows exactly what goes on inside them. There are cases of very rich people who committed suicide. Some shoot themselves, some poison themselves and some starve themselves to death. The obvious thing is that these people are not happy, even with their enormous riches. The tragedy of Howard Hughes is an extreme example of a billionaire who died of malnutrition. Shocking it is, but no less true,

I know of a relative who, despite being very rich, has become senile. Money is no longer of any use to him, he does not even know how to look after his basic needs, thus causing immense hardships to his family. A rich person is not necessarily a happy one.

In politics, there are many who struggle for power and position, the jostling and back-stabbing that occur in the race for power can be read daily in the newspaper. Political parties are plagued by unrest, infighting and dissent. One faction tries to oust the other. Some members resign and some cross over to other parties. Without exception, everyone tries to attain a position of some sort, where he can wield power of some kind and have 'importance' to some degree.

Sports too is not spared this affliction. We read often about sports officials quarreling with one another. We also read to what extent some people or teams go about to doing almost anything to win. Cases of match-fixing and bribery abound. Nasty words are exchanged. We see 'Head-butting' in finals. Spectators go on the rampage. Players quit, or are sacked. Why do people behave so irresponsibly? The reasons that I can see are: for power, position and riches. Fortune follows fame, riches follow power. "To win is the only thing" becomes the motto of the sportsmen and officials alike.

The struggle goes on. Sports stars rise and fall. World champions emerge and then disappear with equal speed. Countries boycott the Olympics and other international games- Sports and games have become just like politics, few, maybe none, are 'happy'.

In the final analysis, success boils down to only one factor; happiness. If one is unhappy with oneself, then no amount of external happenings can alter the fact. I, for one, consider happiness to be of prime importance. The reasons are simple and obvious. Is it not better to be able to walk safely around in public with only a few rupees in your pocket than to be loaded with thousand and be afraid of being robbed? Is it not better to be able to travel freely about inconspicuously and enjoy all the wonders around you than to sit hidden in a car driven with escorts fearful of possible assassins? Is it also not better to be able to kick the football about for the fun of it than to get all sorts of abuse when you fail to score the match-winning goal?

Finally, is it not better to be able to live each day happily than to be filled with anxieties about how to be rich, or to be famous and in the end find that happiness has eluded you?