ONE HUNDRED AND ONE FOR LIFE

ONE HUNDRED AND ONE FOR LIFE

I guess I can start with a sigh of relief. I have finally found my lost shoe. Or rather, Epicurus’s ballerina fit me just fine.

What am I talking about? I seriously don’t know! All I know is that I am really happy. And I just realized what Samuel Johnson meant when he said, “no man is a hypocrite in his pleasures.”

I have adopted a new philosophy in my life. Hedonism. Or I should say ethical hedonism. And life has been a bed of roses since then. And how did this happen?

One fine gloomy morning, I got up and it pounced upon me. WHY AM I HERE? I was mad.. no no, I nagged myself. That is the realm of seers, and with your knowledge you don’t have the competence to think of an answer. “Big deal” my alter ego said, and challenged me.

So I sat down with a steaming cup of hot coffee, and started digging inside me. I don’t belong to the class of people who enjoy reading philosophical stuuff. In fact with the likes of Tolkein and Rowling as my staple diet, I was completely disqualified for even asking myself that question. Never mind.. just a try..

So there I sat thinking .. why am I here? “changed to”why was the Earth made, and why was I put here? Perhaps I am a part of some scientific experiment, with GAWD being the Observer. So, my plight is same as the guinea pig used for medical trials. Huh? I got upset thinking that I was a piggie in someone else’s R&D Department. Looking at the worse scenario, I could be the only one who’s a part of this research, and the Earth was created as a simulation , including the Muggles around me. ok.. I am stretching it too far. In case we are a part of some study, then our aim should be to have a ball till the time we are dissected.

Moving further, we could be created for a much more profound purpose. Like merging with the Brahman. Or something even more improbable. Like becoming a Master someday. Ok, if the former is the purpose, then what can I do about it? My end is confirmed, so I better bask till the Sun is there. or in latter case, where I don’t know that purpose, what difference would it make even if I know that Divine (being optimistic) purpose? Life wouldn’t change, I would still be dead one day. Post reincarnation, I might be worse off than this lifetime. So, I otta get the maximum of this life, be happy and enjoy.

Next pedestal. The Earth was a coincidence, created as a matter of chance. And it might just go on forever, till the conditions conducive for life exist. Then what? Eeeeeekkkkkkksss”. Means this is the only time I have on this beautiful planet, and I am not coming back. So why not spend this time blissfully?

Whatever may be the reason for creation, I am here. My stay can either be a sojourn or eternity. Worse case, it is time bound. So there, I have to keep or make myself happy till I am here. Bingo, so hedonism fits in perfectly in my current situation. Solves a six million years old problem for me.

How has life changed for me? For that we need to understand what the philosophy of hedonism means to me. In plain words, from now onwards, my ultimate aim in life is to maximize MY happiness and minimize the pains. Yaa, rebutters please stand up! Your query, “if there is no pain how would I learn?”. Yup, pain teaches us, and so does happiness. Adopting happiness doesn’t mean I avoid pain. Rather, hedonism gives me the courage to face pain in a more positive way, however intense it may be. I try my best to face the pain and eliminate it by rationalization, take steps to curb its recurrence in future. If that doesn’t work, well I accept it, face it with a smile and move on. “By Joe, how can you?”. I have been able to, so I am sure so would you. And if you can’t, perhaps the philosophy is not for you.

Ok, about the changes in my life“.a little peek in my life might help.

I get up in the morning” world here I come’I pray, and thank GAWD for making me a part of this experiment. This is definitely better than being an atom somewhere in his domain. I think of things I always wanted to do, my dreams. And I no longer shoo them away. I accept them and work towards them. and I enjoy doing that work, every moment of it. The process gives me happiness. I don’t have to wait till some time T1, T2, T3’’.Tn, to be contented. I am a happy soul at this moment, and not sometime in future. Does it make me less ambitious as a person, people would ask me (smile!). no it doesn’t, for now I enjoy challenging myself and doing stuff I thought I could never do. And I enjoy that too.. .see life has become so much of an adventure. I see Oliver (my aunt’s cat), and I kiss him. He ignores me, but I don’t care. I still love him, and I am happy loving him. So why should I bother what he thinks about me. I see umpteen weaknesses in him, but still I don’t care and try to accept him the way he is.

I am craving for a cup of coffee at three in the afternoon, and I just can’t restrain myself. But when I weigh the pros and cons, I learn that this momentary pleasure might cause me abysmal pains in future. And so I agreeably give up. Nights, there are days when I have to sit up and work for whole nights. But I take it as an adventure. At least I am better than those lazy bean bags. And so I enjoy that too“ I face problems everyday. Someone neatly plants a dent on the nose of my car. Ahhwwwwwwww” I am paranoid, but there, I can’t do anything about it now. I calm myself and think of ways to clean the mess. I hate going to car mechanics. But I do. I dare myself. And I enjoy every moment in his dingy garage, thinking that I am doing something which I thought I could never do.

Guess that would suffice’now the cons. People. Some of them just can’t see you happy. Damn it, they complain about my shifting interests, my too daring over confident attitude and my happiness too. Then what, I know that’s the price I would have to pay for my happiness, and so I pay it peacefully.

Yaa, the older clan usually thinks I have become an atheist. Naah, nothing like that. I have no reasons to believe that there is no God, and also that there is a God. So, I try to plan things out, assuming that I control my destiny. I finally end up going where my heart is. Yaa, sometimes God/Chances get unfavorable, but I go on. And I love it, every second it, the feeling of empowerment in ignorance.

So that’s it about my new philosophy.

I am sitting in the garage, and thinking how should I reward myself for doing what I am doing. May be a trip down south? Too big a prize, says my brain. Ok, seven more of these tasks and I would pack my bags. Perhaps a score for my performance might make me happy. And so I give myself hundred and one on hundred for living my life.