Without any doubt most people want to be Good. I presume that being Good is equated to being Happy. And who does not want to be happy?
As a kid I was always confused by how I can be happy by being good. For example, a good kid will share the chocolate he has with his sibling. Is it not better to be bad and eat the whole chocolate instead. I never got the answer. But whenever I prayed to God, I asked him to make me Good.
Very recently, I read an unpublished letter from Swami Vivekananda to his friend. Vivekananda refers to the unhappiness that seem to be growing in his mind as he tries to alleviate the happiness in the mind of people around him. Mother Teresa's letter to the Pope also refers to her intense pain and the feeling that god has deserted her. A normal human being cannot feel happy by serving lepers. Was Mother Teresa Happy? Why was Swami Vivekananda not happy though he was Good?
I believe being Good and being happy are two different things. You can be Bad and very Happy. I think our Politicians look very happy. Being Good and then being Happy needs immense inner strength. You have to be a super being. A good person is sensitive to the problems in his surroundings and pain of his brethren. He tries to go beyond his personal area of concern and tries to console and relieve people of pain. In the process he feels the pain as well. Goodness cannot naturally lead to happiness.
So do we have a choice? Can we decide to be Good or Bad. My feeling is that you are born with an inherent nature. Good people will not be much successful even if they want to be bad. Can a Netaji Subhash succeed in becoming a politician of today. A bad person cannot become good even if he tries. Can George Bush become like Lincoln?
It is not your choice. It is gods choice to make you play a role. Be good but do not expect that you will be happy. Build resilience that will allow you to consume all the poisons but still bring light in darkness.
As a kid I was always confused by how I can be happy by being good. For example, a good kid will share the chocolate he has with his sibling. Is it not better to be bad and eat the whole chocolate instead. I never got the answer. But whenever I prayed to God, I asked him to make me Good.
Very recently, I read an unpublished letter from Swami Vivekananda to his friend. Vivekananda refers to the unhappiness that seem to be growing in his mind as he tries to alleviate the happiness in the mind of people around him. Mother Teresa's letter to the Pope also refers to her intense pain and the feeling that god has deserted her. A normal human being cannot feel happy by serving lepers. Was Mother Teresa Happy? Why was Swami Vivekananda not happy though he was Good?
I believe being Good and being happy are two different things. You can be Bad and very Happy. I think our Politicians look very happy. Being Good and then being Happy needs immense inner strength. You have to be a super being. A good person is sensitive to the problems in his surroundings and pain of his brethren. He tries to go beyond his personal area of concern and tries to console and relieve people of pain. In the process he feels the pain as well. Goodness cannot naturally lead to happiness.
So do we have a choice? Can we decide to be Good or Bad. My feeling is that you are born with an inherent nature. Good people will not be much successful even if they want to be bad. Can a Netaji Subhash succeed in becoming a politician of today. A bad person cannot become good even if he tries. Can George Bush become like Lincoln?
It is not your choice. It is gods choice to make you play a role. Be good but do not expect that you will be happy. Build resilience that will allow you to consume all the poisons but still bring light in darkness.
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