Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness

Yes, you heard it right when you were learning about the 'Declaration of Independence' in school. Little did you know these words would keep banging on your head once you graduated. At college, 'Life' was always good, you had lots of 'Liberty' and you didn't have to 'pursue happiness' per se. It was there all around - on your friends' faces, at the lousy hang-out places you always went to, in the engine of your bike, in the books in your bag, in the music playing from your iPod, in the eyes of the special someone in your heart and needless to say, in your wallet.

One fine day towards the end of my final year at college, I was suddenly shook by the thought - OMG, I am graduating. I will have a job, I will be responsible for myself and soon, for my family. Everyone will look up to me for guidance, support and making sense. Though these thoughts soon vanished with the bouts of 'happiness' obtained from countless job treats given and taken, crazy nightouts, worse hangovers and morbid goodbyes, today, I was once again overwhelmed by these three words. Because when I received my US VISA, the first thing Google told me about the US of A is these three words. Not skyscrapers, not super duper machines, not snow, not California, not Niagara, but these three words. And my thoughts flowed endlessly...

Life - Really, does anyone understand what this is all about? Breathing in and out, is just a sign of living, they say. Then, what IS 'life'? I don't think it is what your parents gave you. I don't think it's the experiences you've had or are going to have. I don't think it's the person who you are or what you were destined to be. I don't think it's the kind of work you do. I don't think it's the people who you met or the girl/guy you marry or the girl/guy who broke your heart. I think life is an endless pursuit of knowledge and the sense of feeling for something. I see life everyday when the sun rises, I hear it as the sparrows chirp, I feel it from my Mom's happy face making tea in the morning. I sense it through my Dad's rustling of the newspaper. I stare at it when the maid's 2 year old daughter asks her if she's tired and needs help. I laugh with it when I meet my friends in the day, I rock with it on the guitar, I sip it through the 'naariyal paani' I drink and gulp it down from the shared cake on someone's birthday. I sigh with it when I listen to the news about floods in China, and marvel at it as Japan stands up on its feet again. Yes, I feel 'life' because I feel it. That's it. That is also probably why they say, 'stop thinking, start living'. If I do not make an active effort to know, to feel, I can't hope to have a good life. Simple. Feel it for yourself.

Liberty - It's supposedly the other side of the coin which has 'responsibility' as one side. Liberty. Freedom. Opinion. Choice. Free will. Yes, I am entitled to all these. But just this is not enough. I must use them as tools. As a free individual, I can choose my home, my partner, my job, my principles, my ideals, my friends, my habits. However, some questions always lurk at the back of my mind - Am I making optimum use of these? Or am I safeguarding my interests at the cost of others' liberty? Am I hurting someone only because I want my own free will to prevail? Is this price really worthy to be paid by someone for my free will? And most importantly, am I really answerable to anyone at all?
Try thinking for some time.
The answer is yes. I am answerable to myself. I am answerable to my parents, my friends, my relatives, my colleagues and to humanity at large. That of course, does not mean I have no freedom. The freedom, however, comes with a price tag. Therefore, the next time you choose the wrong over the right, think of Liberty granted to you.

Pursuit of happiness - After a wonderful movie about this, really makes little sense to use words to explain. Pursuit of happiness is a way of living life. Living like a sage is one. Working to make your family happy is another. Both will attain happiness, but through different paths. In the recent spirit of the term, pursuit of happiness is, in fact, the standard way to achieve 'Inner Peace' :D
That's what we all want in the end. We strive to be happy. We work for it, we run for it, we talk for it, we walk for it, we even kill for it at times. Of course, it's not wrong to pursue happiness. But there's a great danger of losing 'current' happiness for 'future' happiness. When was the last time you played with your children? When was the last time you read a story to your aging grandmother or even your aging parents? When was the last time you helped your little brother build his project, or your mother with her grocery? You probably sent them to the best school, best class, best hospital and best old-age home. They did deserve it, but never asked for it. All they asked for is all those things you don't remember doing. Once they ask for it, you'll realize there isn't a charm in it anymore. Similar is the case with pursuing happiness by the wrong means. The bubble will burst some time and you'll be left with nothing you once valued. So, pursue happiness but make sure you'll enjoy the happiness you're pursuing!

For now, I will just pursue these random thoughts for some more time... :)

पहिला पाऊस

शाळेतला पहिला पाऊस
गारा वेचत अंगणात बागडणारा
संध्याकाळी धुमाकूळ घालणारा
डबक्यांतल्या होड्यांमध्ये ऐटीत फिरणारा
पावसाच्या गाण्यांवर फेर धरून नाचणारा

कॉलेजातला पहिला पाऊस
सिंहगडाचे वेध लावणारा
बाइकवर चिंब भिजणारा
चहा-भज्यांची चव चाखणारा
उगीचच नवी हुरहूर लावणारा

तारुण्यातला पहिला पाऊस
प्रियेवीण झूरणारा
मनाचे कवडसे अलगद खोलणारा
मातीचा मुग्ध सुगंध मनामध्ये साठवणारा
त्या पहिल्या भेटीच्या आठवणीत हळूवार बरसणारा

कामावरचा पहिला पाऊस
छत्री-रेनकोट मध्ये लपणारा
स्कूटरवर शिव्या पण गाडीत शीळ वाजवणारा
घरातल्या चहासाठी तरसणारा
मनातल्या मनातच लहान होऊन नाचणारा


पुन्हा येतो मग बालपणाचा पहिला पाऊस
भूतकाळ जिवंत करणारा
समाधानाने मन भरवणारा
किती हे पावसाळे पाहिले, याची गणती करणारा
आणि पिकांसाठी, रस्त्यांसाठी, रेल्वेसाठी आणि माणसासाठी प्रार्थना करणारा!