3 December 2024 : Daily Answer Writing

Q1) What does the following quotations mean to you?

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” -Mahatma Gandhi.

(150 Words/10 Marks)

ANS

Happiness is a state of well-being; all human beings aspire for happiness, yet its meaning remains subjective. For Gandhiji, it meant being honest with oneself. There are three different ways of expressing oneself, happiness is having congruence among these three selves: what you think. What you say, what you do. One cannot hide from oneself in one’s mind. Gandhiji believed, preached, and lived a life of non-violence.

Harmony in thought, speech, and action leads to happiness in the following ways:

1. Speech and action are expressions of thought, living by one’s principles gives satisfaction and happiness. E.g. You may think: “I want to be healthy and fit.” But if you don’t act, it will bring sadness. Harmony in three avoids cognitive dissonance, mental discomfort caused by such inconsistencies.
2. Happiness has an internal locus of control. It is dependent on one’s own choices. One can’t escape a guilty conscience. E.g., consistently living by what one deeply values.
3. The Buddhist noble eightfold path to righteousness also emphasizes it as a path to happiness. E.g. right thought, right speech, right action as a method of attaining end of suffering.
4. Congruence brings trust, and a sense of authenticity. When our words and actions are not in alignment means we can’t be trusted. This can erode our sense of trust in ourselves, which in turn, can chip away at our self-esteem. E.g. K C Sen by marrying off his underage daughter diluted the credibility of his thought.
5. Emotional attachment to possessions is not the source of long-term happiness. A person with very few worldly belongings, yet who is congruent between the three may have contentment, happiness, and serenity in their hearts.
6. Happiness can be accessed and preserved by leading a principled life. E.g., living a life of integrity avails one of social and professional reputation.

Happiness is missing when any one of them is not in congruence as discussed below:

1. When a decision is taken due to undue influence of peer/societal pressure, without considering their own thought, then there may not be happiness. E.g. large number of students’ suicides in Kota.
2. Undemocratic and colonial governments put limits on thought, speech, and action thus eroding the personality of subjects and causing unhappiness among people. E.g., British India oppressive policies against Indians.
3. Thoughtless action and the absence of mindfulness in consumerism lead to the hoarding of material things without any happiness. E.g. Consumerism and the LIFE movement against it.
4. Cognitive dissonance arising out of inconsistencies disturbs mental peace and happiness. Example: E.g., honest individual in a corrupt environment.

A happy life is built daily not based on some event or achievement. One’s thoughts become action; action leads to habit. So, one must improve their thoughts as it will boost self-confidence and bring happiness and a sense of fulfilment in life.