Tuesday, July 29

Why does misery of other people make us happy?

Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal Facebooked today this “Why does misery of other people make us happy?” and this is my take on the same question. I fail to answer it but I don’t crave happiness – it comes naturally (sometimes due to reasons and rest of the times without them).

Now, isn’t happiness the natural state of human beings. We are born with a basic understanding of love and all other form of emotions comes by with experience. So, why it is that happiness finds it difficult to come by us when we grow up? The momentary joy of being able to say “I told you so” or “You deserved it” is more fun than actually helping them face the problem. What has made us degrade from that blissful state into the sordid one? Why does inflicting pain, directly or indirectly bring that fleeting feeling of festivity to our heart?

We seek happiness in material things or a cigarette smoked or a drink had, but we forget the conversation we had over the drink or that smoke. We just remember that bad hangover after one too many drinks. We take pleasure in sharing our tales of sorrow to all, even when we know no one is really interested in listening to it.

We seek happiness in what makes others miserable. We enjoy from the fact that someone is unhappy either because of us or due to something that we didn’t do, which might have helped that person through. Somehow we have forgotten the natural instinct of loving people and being in a state of sheer happiness, without being sadist about it.

Perhaps we have forgotten that joy is best when it is shared with people you love and sorrows sort of mellow down in company. Loneliness never enhances happiness and never allows distress to get out of your life. As a rule we are bound to be with people, but our current lifestyle has made us impervious to any feelings of joy and has increased the craving. Maybe that is why we enjoy scorn, sarcasm and sadism instead of love, happiness and laughter.