Light up the world!

I still remember the girl next door who used to admire her own figure in the life-size mirror. She used to adjust her hair, trim her eyebrows, apply rose powder on her cheeks and grin at her own face reflected in the mirror. I am sure she always wanted to stay young and be happy for ever. Whenever I remember her, I think of Fontenelle's definition of happiness. In his "Traitei du Bonheur" he said, "Happiness is a state in which we desire to remain without change of any sort." Unfortunately, everything is in a flux. You cannot step into the same river twice because not only the river but also your leg has changed. But we still cling onto the belief that our good looks will remain as long as we live.

The "girl" next door is still there. Now she is a grandmother who has lost much of her good looks and charm. However, I still see her adjusting her hair before the mirror and spending some time to do a little bit of make-up. She must be saying to the mirror, as Faust said to Moment: "Oh, Stay, thou art so beautiful."

If we are subject to change every moment, can there be a concept called beauty? The beauty of a child or a bride is momentary.

Everything is subject to change and decay. If we can freeze the momentary beauty for ever, we might be able to live happily. However, nobody has still found a method of preserving beauty. Therefore, as we grow old, we keep on wearing wigs, dyeing our grey hair, applying layers and layers of cream and powder on our body to hide those ugly wrinkles.

J. Krishnamurti

The phenomenon of change is not confined to the beauty of a young woman. All the other attractive things have their lifespan. For instance, even the sweetest song will have to come to an end.

We will have to read the last page of a very interesting novel. When you are with your lover, time flies so speedily that you will not know the duration of your happiness. Therefore, we must try to find out whether there is a lasting happiness in this rather uncertain and changing world.

My mind goes back to Levine in Leo Tolstoy's path-breaking novel "Anna Karenina". After his engagement to his beloved, Levine walks through the streets softly whistling to himself and admiring everything he sees.

He finds the sky is bluer than on other days. Birds sing more sweetly than on other days. Even his old door-keeper gives him an affectionate look which is quite unusual. The secret of his happiness is that there is an inner light within him. It shines upon everything and he finds himself in a more alluring world.

This brings us to the inevitable truth that the beauty of the external world is a reflection of your inner happiness. Once I saw an old man glaring at an ordinary flower by the wayside. When asked what he was doing, he said, "I'm admiring the beauty of the flower." He probably had the state of mind to admire the beauty of the external world.

Although he had a face full of wrinkles, his happiness was radiating the environment.

We have a practical problem in identifying those who actually light up the world. I have heard that as some phosphorescent fish see the water, other creatures of the sea light up at their approach. This is the same as when a truly happy person approaches, all of us get illuminated. I experienced this phenomenon thrice in my life. The first occasion was when I met the late Indian sage J. Krishnamurti when he visited the John de Silva Memorial theatre in Colombo to deliver a series of lectures. When he came up the stage the whole place was illuminated. The second occasion was when President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid a surprise visit to Lake House a few years ago. In his presence all of us were illuminated. The third occasion was when I met Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparathi. He too lit up the whole surroundings.

There are many obstacles to human happiness. The first, of course, is poverty. The second is sickness. A very poor man or a patient suffering from an incurable disease cannot be expected to enjoy happiness. If you are mentally strong, you can fight some of the diseases and achieve happiness. This is because our minds have unbelievable power over our bodies. Much of our suffering appears to be imaginary. We have heard of beggars who are filthy rich. Many normally healthy people think that they are suffering from some diseases.

None of us can achieve everything in life. Our plans misfire, we fail examinations, our marriages go on the rocks, we do not get our increments and promotions, others do not love us and we are not recognized. If you have any of these maladies, read Stendhal's powerful words: "Tonight, I am slightly vexed at my two subordinates being made department magistrates and not myself; my vexation, however, would be greater if I were obliged to bury myself for four or five years in some hole with six thousand inhabitants."

In order to maintain happiness and retain your sanity, never brood over lost opportunities, insults, abuses, and things that cannot be remedied. Also, never listen to those who claim the world is coming to an end. They are prophets of doom. Avoid them like the plague.

Once, a prestigious newspaper in a foreign country posed the question: "Do you wish to know the secret of happiness?" All those who replied received a verse from St. Matthews:

"Ask, and it shall be given you;

Seek, and ye shall find;

Knock and it shall be opened unto you;

For everyone that asketh receive this

And he that seeketh findeth,

And to him that knocketh

It shall be opened."

Now that you know the secret of happiness, you will be able to light up the world.