My drop in the ocean

If I ask you, do you think the majority of people in the world are happy or unhappy, most likely I'm going to hear an 'Unhappy, of course' from you. If not, I envy your faith in humankind.

Now we get to that elusive question, 'Why?'. Why are most people unhappy?
'If they knew that, Mister, they wouldn't be unhappy any longer, would they?' you ask.
Not entirely true. There are so many things we know are wrong with us, but we simply lack the strength or the patience to correct them. So even if we know why we are unhappy, we might not have the resources to set that right.

Coming back to the Why?, I think in most of the cases it's a simple case of wanting more. Now we all agree that greediness is a vice and usually leads to misery and downfall. But we often fail to admit that we are being greedy in more ways than meets the eye.

When things go smoothly, they raise our expectation from life. Till we encounter a disaster, we are not ready to admit that something like this could happen to us. Think about it and you'll realize what a silly thought that is. These hiccups are what bring you back to earth. What shows you how little you had to begin with, how lucky you are to have anything that you have.

You fail an exam. Perhaps not due to your own fault. Just plain bad luck. Things are not going fine in any aspect of your life. You don't see eye to eye with your parents, you had a bitter argument with your best friend, a toothache has been giving you hell for a week now, your job is not giving you the satisfaction you had dreamt of, everything is becoming so expensive......the list goes on. Some people even go to the extent of pointing out 'He did the exact same thing as me, yet it wasn't a disaster for him, why me then?'. What is wrong with these people?

Perspective. The classic question of whether the glass is half-full or half-empty is deeper than you might have thought. The glass is unchanged. But seeing it as half-full shows you what you have, as opposed to what you don't have or what is lost already. This question might just hold the key to your entire happiness. But knowing the answer is not enough, you have to know it. Really know it. Believe it, understand why it is the right answer.

Everytime you complain about something, see whether it has a positive side. Very few things don't. The mere fact that you're alive and experiencing life should be good enough to keep you grinning for the rest of your time here. But let's be practical. When you quarrel with your parents, be thankful that you have parents. Imagine if you didn't. When your tooth aches, become aware of the parts of your body that are intact and working smoothly. We don't appreciate our body till it starts failing. Had you ever noticed that tooth before it started keeping you up at night? :)

This sounds nice on paper, and I'm pretty sure you knew this in theory. But try thinking in this way next time. Maybe in the beginning a voice in your head will say 'Whom am I fooling? Life sucks; a rosy perspective isn't going to solve anything. All it will do is make me more irritated.'
The voice is right in it's place. It's just a view, reality does not change. But with time, what will change is how you respond to that reality. How you adapt. With time, this perspective will become second nature.

And then you will ask yourself the same question, 'Why the hell are people unhappy?'