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03 March, 2012

Is it necessary to be sad to experience reality?

There is a scene in the movie Rockstar, where Ranbir Kapoor, the actor, who is an aspiring rockstar, is advised by his friend that in life, to achieve something, one must experience unhappiness. And he starts introspecting that he has nothing sad in his life. He is not an adopted child, has no broken relationship, etc. He forcefully subjects himself to being sad, gloomy and depressed.
While it is true that life is not a bed of roses and everyone has their own share of happiness and sorrows in life, many of us choose to embrace sadness for no genuine reason. Can you see that life is beautiful- to be lived with hope and courage. Be glad that unlike many other people, who have genuine reason to be sad, you are not one of them. Do not forcefully find reason to be sad, to try to self-flagellate to face reality.
People leave the comforts of their home, travel to ashrams or mountains or retreats, to get closer to 'reality'. Some others take to substance abuse.
Indeed it is sad and ironic because there is no great virtue or truth to be discovered in plumbing sadness. Sadness just makes us shrink physically within ourself.
There is an old saying- Laugh and the world laughs with you ; weep and you weep alone. Have you noticed that you hide your tears and wipe them alone quitely. You do not want to be seen in public crying. It is your private matter. But you laugh out aloud and never suppress your laughter. Laughter uplifts you and the others around you. It is infectious. That is why it is said that laughter is the best medicine. But how many of us have good sense of humor? Why do we want to look gloomy and dejected and serious? I would even say-constipated.
Perish the thought that you have to be sad to understand life. Life is something to feel good about.