In our day to day life we consider certain things as absolute while some other as relative. Things like a brick, a coin, a computer are absolute example of absolute quantities, while other things/virtues like relative velocity, relative growth are examples of relative terms. In fact velocity itself is a relative term, as by the principal of physics, it depends on the framework in which it is measured.
So how would be classify something like happiness? Is happiness an absolute term or a relative term?
When we say we are happy, what do we actually mean? Are we happy with respect to the moment before we proclaimed ourselves to be happy? Or are we happy with respect to some other person? Or we indeed are happy, come what may others think about it or comment about it. Happiness coming out of some personal achievement, some accomplishment, success of some dear-near ones,or some recognition tend to be absolute happiness. While happiness arising out of lack of achievement of someone else, or the fact that someone has not got his/ her due are generally relative happiness. They keep us happy till the time the conditions are met. We are happy not because of something ours, but because of something else.
As the world becomes more and more materialistic driven, these are certain core issues overlooked by many. Today less and less people find themselves contented, satisfied. They always yearn for that extra bit. In a sense it is okay to yearn for more, but if this desire starts taking toll on the basics, knowing no limitations, it tends to make man/woman more discontented with what they have. This in turn makes them more dissatisfied, less happy and more frustrated. Difference between necessity and need needs to be understood and effort made towards making our lives more “absolutely” happier.
(By the way do ponder over the following question, is honesty absolute or relative?
Walking alone on the road, if we find a fifty paise coin on the road,90 out of 100 people may neglect it. While if we find a note of ten rupees, 80 out of 100 may overlook it. If the money on the road is Rs 1000, perhaps 60 out of 100 may still overlook it. But if the money on the road is of lets say Rs 10 lakh, there is a greater likelihood of it not being overlooked by anyone. Given a chance anyone would lay his/her claim to it. So what do we conclude? For the initial 10 people, they were honest in the range of 0-50 paise, while the next10 were honest in the range of 0-Rs 10. But if the limit is raised to Rs 10 lakh, there might be hardly anyone honest.
So what should we conclude? Is honesty then a relative concept)
So how would be classify something like happiness? Is happiness an absolute term or a relative term?
When we say we are happy, what do we actually mean? Are we happy with respect to the moment before we proclaimed ourselves to be happy? Or are we happy with respect to some other person? Or we indeed are happy, come what may others think about it or comment about it. Happiness coming out of some personal achievement, some accomplishment, success of some dear-near ones,or some recognition tend to be absolute happiness. While happiness arising out of lack of achievement of someone else, or the fact that someone has not got his/ her due are generally relative happiness. They keep us happy till the time the conditions are met. We are happy not because of something ours, but because of something else.
As the world becomes more and more materialistic driven, these are certain core issues overlooked by many. Today less and less people find themselves contented, satisfied. They always yearn for that extra bit. In a sense it is okay to yearn for more, but if this desire starts taking toll on the basics, knowing no limitations, it tends to make man/woman more discontented with what they have. This in turn makes them more dissatisfied, less happy and more frustrated. Difference between necessity and need needs to be understood and effort made towards making our lives more “absolutely” happier.
(By the way do ponder over the following question, is honesty absolute or relative?
Walking alone on the road, if we find a fifty paise coin on the road,90 out of 100 people may neglect it. While if we find a note of ten rupees, 80 out of 100 may overlook it. If the money on the road is Rs 1000, perhaps 60 out of 100 may still overlook it. But if the money on the road is of lets say Rs 10 lakh, there is a greater likelihood of it not being overlooked by anyone. Given a chance anyone would lay his/her claim to it. So what do we conclude? For the initial 10 people, they were honest in the range of 0-50 paise, while the next10 were honest in the range of 0-Rs 10. But if the limit is raised to Rs 10 lakh, there might be hardly anyone honest.
So what should we conclude? Is honesty then a relative concept)
For defining happiness I would like to quote a couplet from Sri Harivansh Rai Bacchan's Madhushala:
ReplyDelete" Us pyaale se chhaav mujhe jo
Door hatheli se pyaala
Us haala se pyaar mujhe jo
door adhar mukh se pyaala
Jeevan ka sukh paane me nahi
paane ki armaanon me hain
Paa jaata to haay na itni
pyaari lagti madhushala"
I do believe happiness is relative. It all depends on the priorities one sets for his life.Some people are happy working relentlessly for others, while some r happy in just procrastinating.
As far as honesty is concerned I don't agree with the assertion that it is a relative concept. Honesty is a virtue which is either present or absent in an individual, there is no middle way.As far as limits of honesty is concerned, I don't think there is any. Even if a person falls prey to a larger temptation, he is dishonest. The fact is that he is not being honest about the smaller temptation, but it simply doesn't appeal to him.