Theory
The bigness in the little is a quest for happiness. What is happiness? There is a
quote which says that happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute
in love, grace and gratitude. But, most of us attach other meanings to happiness.
Probably, the titles we assume, the money we earn, the material possessions we
acquire, the high ranks or marks we attain are all presumed to give us happiness.
But, then, it makes us feel so good.
Are we not willing to accept it as our happiness? If these things do not give us
happiness, then what else will give us the same? Are we confused? Or have we
lost track of true happiness? We will resolve this quest for happiness.
Well most of us have turned out be more pleasure seekers as we realise
that happiness does not come to us. Rather, we are not able to distinguish
between pleasure and happiness. The bike or car that we purchase, the mansion
that we built, our promotions at work and a hike in our pay are nothing more than
pleasure. Going on a foreign tour on a holiday is a purchase of pleasure. Going for
an evening party is more a matter of eating, drinking, laughing and enjoying,
where the element of pleasure is at its heights. Pleasure is more about the
rewards through money, materials and titles which gives alleviation to our
perceived feelings.
Well, let us try to know true happiness and also try to feel it with all the
intimacy. We fill our mind with peace and happiness at moments of spirituality
when we are in prayers. We are in happiness and fulfilment when we offer our
helping hand and service to the betterment of a person and the humanity in
general. We are happy when we have the sense of gratitude to the creator and to
the people around. We are happy when we cultivate optimism in life. We are
happy if we are able to fetch smile in many a faces. We can remain happy in life, if
we are able to forgive others. We can remain happy, if we do not expect anything
in return for the favours we have rendered. Research works have showed that
people who have very close relationships are happier than others. The research
works also show that people who have engagements are happier than others.
Also people who have a better social behaviour are happier.
If we have someone to love, something to like and a passion to do something, we
can remain happy. There is happiness in a marriage, happiness in the birth of a
child and happiness in a family interwoven by love. There can even be happiness,
seeing a flower bloom, a bird feeding its young one, a squirrel climbing a tree, a
butterfly fluttering in your lawn, a breeze brushing your face, drizzle wetting the
soil, ripple lashing the banks……….. Yes, the big treasure called happiness is in
these little things.
Finding the bigness in the little, finding happiness, where the treasure hunt ends,
may mark a new beginning in one’s outlook towards life.
Finding the bigness in
the little enables one to exhale a lot of stress.
Story
Meena’s life was always about more.
A bigger home, a better car, a higher salary, a longer vacation. She believed
happiness lived somewhere beyond the next milestone — just a little further, just
a little later.
On the outside, her life looked perfect. But inside, she often felt like a traveller
walking through fog — always moving, yet never arriving.
One evening, as she was driving home after a long day, she noticed an old tea stall
at the corner of the road. The vendor — a frail man with a weathered face — was
closing up for the day. A little girl, perhaps his daughter, was sitting beside him,
laughing uncontrollably as he tried to balance a tower of empty cups on his head.
Both of them broke into laughter when it tumbled down.
Something about that moment stopped Meena. She sat in her car, watching. They
had nothing she longed for — no luxury, no success — yet they seemed to have
everything she was chasing: peace, joy, connection.
She found herself walking to the stall and ordering a cup of tea, even though she
didn’t need one. The man smiled, handed it to her, and said, “You’re lucky today
— this is the last cup. My daughter says it’s the one that brings smiles.”
The tea was simple, but it felt different. As she took each sip, she could hear the
man humming softly and the girl giggling beside him. There was no music, yet
there was melody. No wealth, yet there was abundance.
Driving home that night, Meena rolled down her window and felt the cool wind
brush her face. For the first time in years, she wasn’t thinking of tomorrow. She
was simply there — breathing, smiling and alive.
Over the next few weeks, something shifted in her. She still worked hard, but she
began to notice the small things — the laughter of her colleagues, the fragrance
of her morning coffee, the joy in helping her neighbour’s child with homework. Slowly, she realized that happiness wasn’t hiding in the grand chapters of life; it
was written quietly between the lines.
Years later, when her son asked, “Mamma, what is happiness?” she smiled and
said,
“Happiness is when you stop looking for big things to feel alive and start seeing
how big the little things already are.”
Activity
1. List out five little things which can bring happiness into our life.
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Quote
“Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.”
― Dalai Lama
Take Away
1. If we have someone to love, something to like and a passion to do something,
we can remain happy.
2. Do not compare ourselves with others and sabotage our happiness.