PEACE

Mikhail and Dave are returning from the Annual Strawberry Carnival.

Dave says: Mikhail, look at all these people trying to enjoy themselves.

Mikhail: Trying?

Dave: Well, Yes, Mikhail. Do you really think they are happy?

Mikhail: I wouldn’t know. In the deepest place of their mind they know if they are. God too can look through their deepest desires.

Dave: I wonder whether we are and we can ever be. What are we doing actually in this world?

Mikhail: What do you mean?

Dave:

We keep struggling. We keep trying for this. Then try for that. The pursuit continues like as if to win trophies. Then we find out we are good at this or that. We get success at it, make money. Then we realize what money can do, what it can get us and how others too play along when you show them the money.

And life continues, problems come, some you solve, some are not solved but covered up but they haunt you. Then you run away from people and places, time and truth. This keeps going until you meet new people and lament not having the old. The new people become old and you long for novel things.

And you feel life is just one year repeating itself countless times, birthdays come and go, anniversaries, fortnights, leap years, kid’s sports day and then you forget some. You mourn and regret them. You love people and hurt them. You sing in joy and when lonely, sleep with them. You struggle everyday and you long for night’s sleep. Tomorrow morning you run out of bed thinking all those people who are expecting things from you and you wonder when you will ever get your life all by yourself.

And when you do get it for a moment, you cannot stand the silence and loneliness and quickly want people to surround you. When people are not doing that, you try to get into their lives and later want to escape out. These things continue for some time and in all this you try to find and still keep the pursuit on for the primary: Happiness. So tell me Mikhail then, what is Happiness?

Mikhail:

This is what I prayed to God today, “Thank you for your peace today. What is happiness but your peace today? For the want of peace makes me believe I am not happy and I am not happy because I think buying things and taking refuge in novelties and activities will bring me joy instead it is peace that I lack and I seek. Whereas if I have peace I would believe I am happy