Dr. Keshab Chandra Mandal's Book - The Thoughts of an Unknown Indian

 PEACE AND HAPPINESS

Dr. Keshab Chandra Mandal

Ghatal, Paschim Medinipur, W.B., India 721212

Homepage/Blog: http://lafungendal.blogspot.in/

Publication: "The Thoughts of an Unknown Indian",

ISBN-13:	978-3-639-71794-5
ISBN-10:	3639717945
EAN:	9783639717945

Direct link to the book on Morebooks-Shop www.moebooks.de

Also available at – Amazon.com

What is Peace?

Nobody wants any kind of mental disturbance and everybody wants peace. It is the eternal desire of every person to remain in peace. Now let us first know what peace is. The word peace has originated from the Latin pax, meaning "freedom from civil disorder." It has multiple meanings that include justice, good health, safety, well-being, prosperity, equity, security, good fortune, and friendliness. At a personal level peaceful behavior means kind, considerate, respectful, just, and tolerant and respectful towards each other’s feelings, beliefs and behaviors. Further, the term peace means avoidance of ill-feeling, quarreling with others and seeking tranquility so that our minds remain free from disturbance or agitation.

Peace is totally one kind mental state, sole personal feelings. Peace of mind refers to a state of being mental and spiritual tranquility, with true scientific and boundless knowledge and understanding to keep ourselves calm and strong in the face of trouble, distress and discord. Being "at peace" means remaining without stress or anxiety. Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness.

In broader sense it can be said that, peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict and the freedom from fear of violence. Further it may be termed as the absence of hostility and tension. In terms of national and international perspectives the word peace suggests the existence of healthy economy, equal opportunity and arrangement for maintaining minimum necessities of daily life, absence of oppression, cordial interpersonal or international relationship, ensuring social equality, the establishment of equality between genders, and a working political order that serves the true and maximum interests of all people rising above narrowness. In international relations, peacetime is not only the absence of war or violent conflict among states, but also the presence of positive and respectful behavioral, cultural and economic relationships among nations.

What is Happiness?

Now let us focus on the concept of happiness. Different people have different notions regarding the concept of happiness. It is basically a state of well-being and contentment. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of nation, has said that, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Aristotle, the father of Political Science, has said, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”² But some people, mostly the young and adolescent people think that life is short, so enjoy it fully from all sides and through all means. So they take the taste of all – both good and bad things. They want to touch the moon; try to enjoy the life for happiness and do anything and everything what they like. But for seeking happiness during student life in temporal things when they resort to enjoying sex, smoking, drinking, avoiding classes and lectures, quarrelling and envying others without studying hard and sincerely that serve as a boomerang in their later life; and after that in work-life when they want to accumulate huge wealth without morality, hard working, and honesty they are sure to be unhappy. Happiness is different from pleasure. Having pleasure does in no way means having happiness. Pleasure is enjoyment of life sometimes alone or with other close friends by watching movies, theatres and visiting lovely places, performing in cultural program or watching it or enjoying life through rave. Some people without proper knowledge engage in wrong doing like telling lies, cheating others, practicing corruption and accumulating huge wealth by illegal means. Do you think they are happy people? No, most of the time they remain in tension, anxiety and one kind of fear. Truly speaking, the numbers of dishonest people are few in the world, while the sufferers in their hands are many-fold more in number. Most of the common people are the victims of oppression and exploitation in the hands of rich, political and governmental decision-makers. Due to a few inhuman and narrow-minded tyrants most of the people are suffering from various kinds of trouble, tension and agony.

Causes of Unhappiness

These troubles, tensions and pains add fuel to the feelings of a section of people who consider themselves as the victims of oppression and deprivation and are thus helpless. Too much greed, too much crafts, too much dishonesty, black marketing, false assurance of a section of political leaders, corrupt business men, chit fund owners and unwillingness of a section of bureaucrats have made the life of a lot of people hellish. They are bound in societal, economic and political chains in every sphere of their lives. Some people accept it as their destiny while others start raising their voices either collectively or unilaterally against their oppressor/s.

Why do these things happen? Why does one section of people exploit others? Why does one section of people make merry by depriving, falsifying, cheating, beating, looting or killing their brethren? Why do people forget that our life on this earth is only for a few years? Why do not people think that as we have born, one day we have to die also? Every man who takes birth must be grown old and have to suffer from natural illness. Ultimately a day will come when one could not move, could not eat, could not talk properly and ultimately die and have to be either buried or burnt. Our handsome and beautiful bodies will be either under burial ground or burnt in the crematorium. We have to leave behind all our properties, houses, dear mobile phones, laptops etc.

There is no doubt that most of the problems and sufferings of people are man-made. It is the nature of some cunning and supremacy-establishing tendency of a section of people, who want to dominate others, exploit others and earn a lot of wealth, without knowing its utility after their death. Basically unlimited demands have created one kind of artificial vacuum in their lives. When this kind of demands haunts people, they become blind, senseless and inhuman. They do whatever they wish and through any means.

With a view to meeting their aimless and boundless demands, some men are resorting to diplomacy, some take dishonest methods, and some even do not hesitate to kill or threat other fellow countrymen. If we go deep into the problems and try to find out the reasons of such man-made crises we will find that the actors of oppression, crime, terror and destruction have passed through major hardships and undergone improper upbringings in their childhood days. Most of the perpetrators were once most deprived children; most of them were either molested or neglected or were unwanted babies. Most of them were deprived of warm care and love of their parents and they lacked moral and religious teachings in their boyhood days. Those who commit major crimes were mostly failed to come in touch with noble and liberal persons; they could not avail of the opportunities like their rich counterparts; they could not eat squarely, speak properly, and wear decent clothes as per wish and they could not visit the places of historical and educational importance. In a word, they had too much insufficiency and too much unfulfilled wishes. This rule may not be generalized; but it would not be an exaggeration that most of the today’s oppressors, tyrants, killers themselves were once sufferers and victims in any time of their life.

All their unattained desires of childhood days give birth to wrong desires, dissatisfaction, unethical demands in their minds and one kind of ill-feeling towards their parents, teachers, decision-makers, political leaders, military heads and social bosses. They want to attract the attention of others by doing wrong, creating noise, accumulating wealth by hook or by crook. The more the deprivation and shock they sustained the big the crime and offence they commit for retaliation in later life.

Conclusion

Therefore, it is the duty of the teachers, parents, religious leaders, moralists and other senior intellectuals in the society to infuse moral, liberal, unbiased and scientific education to the children; tender proper care and love to them; abstain themselves from doing wrong things in front of children; make them aware of the developments taking place in the world; train them to be adaptable, to be respectable, to be forward-looking and progressive in thinking, attitude and behavior. Then only we could check the wrong doings, wrong desires and wrong demands of our children and bring peace and happiness in their life. Then only they will learn fellow-feeling, love and care for others. We all are human beings and we are the children of one father i.e. God Almighty. Hence, we all should work for the betterment and wellbeing of our fellow citizenry without any prejudice. You see, our life on this planet is very limited, so why should we be so crazy, so greedy, so dishonest, so heartless, so inhuman, so irreligious, so immoral, so careless and so anti-developmental? Therefore, let us be liberal, truly educated, good, gentle, moralist and work for progress and prosperity of the beautiful world. Remember, only man can change this uneven nature of society with positive attitude and true knowledge. So, please let us pledge today that we will not do any harm to others, we will not think even evil of others and we will do good work sincerely and honestly for the development of our own family, society, country and the world as a whole.

Time passes very quickly. Our time here on this earth is also passing very fast. Every day we are losing one valuable day from our life span. So, every day is important to us. If we do wrong things and ill-behave with others, people will remember us as bad and that is also for a few years only. But if we utilize every minute for doing good things for the people and the society, people in turn will remember us as good and that is also for many years. Just close your eyes and think a few public figures – Rabindra Nath Tagore, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Hitler, Martin Luther King Jr. and Saddam Hussein of Iraq, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. Some are remembered with reverence while others are remembered with hatred. Now decide what way would you choose? What kind of life would you prefer to live? One thing is sure that, you cannot take even a little grain of gold or a piece of cloth with you after your death, whatever wealth you may accumulate in bank, or gold in locker, or land or others. Only things will remain here in the world are our works and behavior merely. 

So, how can we be happy during our short span of life? It is a million dollar question. Happiness is something everyone is desirous of. It is the eternal demand of the people. Happiness is something that comes from struggling, enduring and accomplishing. What can bring happiness – money or true knowledge? The answer is definitely – true knowledge. Remember, one person may be a successful officer, teacher, lawyer, politician, manager or businessman; he or she may have a lot of money; but without happiness everything will be tasteless and meaningless to him or her.

In conclusion, it can be said that if we abstain from doing wrong things and do not demand too much than our basic needs; if we are not selfish; if we really wish wellbeing of other people; God will definitely help us to live in peace and happiness. This is called ‘true knowledge’ and hence it is the truth of life. So, let us live a truthful and honest life and serve the poor and unprivileged people.