Sir,

The article titled “Are you HAPPY at what you are doing?” by N.K.A. Ballal in Star of Mysore dated  June 6 is worth reading several times. We, as adults, frame the future of our child by fixing two lines and expect them to fit their future within this framework.

We never try to identify their interest in subjects and lay our rules and expect them to score 90 plus every time. Some times this goes one step further and we create hatred within the group by pointing out the marks scored by other students thinking that this is a motivating factor to score more.

It is rightly mentioned in the article that “Things” can never makes us happy because they are temporary for which I wish to quote my own example from my life. At the initial days after marriage, I wanted my wife to support me financially and without waiting for her consent, I made her to join gainful (Bank) employment. In fact, she was expressing her willingness to work for the benefit of society without relating to the earning.

This went on for 28 years and finally she took a bold decision to resign her job and she is now an Honorary Counsellor after passing the required stages/examinations/training. She is enjoying her role in reconciling families and often shares her experience with me. The enjoyment of helping needy people she gets out of her present assignment can only be experienced and can never be measured. I too silently enjoy the satisfaction she is deriving out of her happiness !

I fully agree with the concluding lines: “Do not do anything to impress others. We become successful by what we get, but we become happy by what we give.” View life beyond money to enjoy the rest of your lives.

– Ashok Nayak, V.V. Mohalla, 8.6.2019

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