1.
It was one of their last days in college. Five friends agreed to have a joy ride to the mountain nearby and eat sumptuous foods as a kind of celebration for the upcoming new chapter of their lives. By night, they were in a warm argument. And the topic was “Happiness.”
“I don’t know about what all of you want but one day I will have a name.”Ishita said.”Every signal that the car will halt at, people will gather they’ll come to me for autographs. I am going to be really famous. And so the happiest of all of us.”
Rajiv said, “Why would you need to be famous to be happy? To be happy, man has to be successful. I will be the best. And you will see, I will be the happiest amongst us all."
(Here, success for him is in business. Becoming one of the leaders in a top blooming company.)
“Success doesn’t remain with one for very long.” Jenny replied.
“Success would always leave the side of successful men someday, whether it be because of age or because of time. Only money remains. You’ll see, I will earn more money than any of you. And I’ll be the happiest.”
“I will be the happiest.” said Mohit.
“Because I have seen the extreme sorrows. But to be happy, I neither need money… nor name… nor even success… I want power. Because in today’s date the one who has power… he automatically gets everything else.”
“Hey, Mon,” said Rajiv. “Why are you so silent? Don’t you want to be happy also?”
Mon just smiled back at Rajiv and said, “If all of you will become happy, who will keep track of it? I will just be the accountant of all your happiness. Give me 50 Php.”
And so, each of the four gave him 50 Php, even though they were still puzzled of what was passing through Mon’s mind.
“We’ll bet 200 Php.” Said Mon after a thought.
“There’s a little confusion in the market... All of you say, you’ll be happier than the other. Let’s do this, after 5 years …on this day, in this very place…ah no… we’ll meet at a better place and decide who is the happiest... the one who is happiest wins this wager.” And all of them agreed.
Meanwhile, the day of graduation came up. That same day Rajiv wasn’t the only one catching a plane. In fact all of them were stepping into a new life… Away from the security of college… All of Mon’s friends were leaving one another’s hands… proceeding to a destination they had fixed. And him?… He still had to find his goal.
A year after graduation.
Ishita was making her first steps in entering showbiz.
Rajiv joined the company headed by his elder brother.
Mohit joined a political party.
Jenny joined a magazine that gossips about the famous and the rich people in the country.
Mon was already working as writer in a health Magazine.
The main difference between these four (Ishita, Rajiv, Mohit & Jenny) and Mon is that they were so much concentrated on their goals: Popularity, Success, Power, Money.... so much that they would do all just for the sake of attaining their goals, even if it means breaking the code of ethics and morality.
Ishita, an upcoming actress compromised on her honour in order to make it in the movies. She had to sleep with her co-star who was already a top celebrity.
Jenny, an ambitious middle-class girl achieved her dream of becoming super-rich by conning a millionaire into marrying her.
Mohit thought the only way to get ahead in politics is by sabotaging the opposition, and the result was the death of their political enemy.
Rajiv thought no business can be a success if you haven't greased enough palms. If you don't support a political party now, you'll not reap any benefit in the future if that party could win in the election.
But Mon was very much simple. Every trial that comes along, he was always moderate. He'd find ways to solve a problem, in a legal and moral way. He was fired, and he searched for another job. He was busted by a girl for not being rich, and yet because of his
practical ways he'd shown her, he'd won her heart.
Exactly after 5 years, they met again just as what had been promised. But he had no idea who was to be declared as a winner for not being able to see the inner state of his friends. Outwardly, he could suspect they would all be happy for all of the four had reached their goals. At that same meeting, an emergency call reached Ishita anouncing the suicide of her long-time sweetheart for he felt so betrayed by her.
Later that month, Jenny filed a divorce because her "so-rich" husband had so many mistresses.
Rajiv's business was coming to a downfall. Because the enemy of the political party he had supported also became his enemy in terms of business transaction. Well, that's the disadvantage of blatantly supporting a political party. If one supports a party, all the other political parties become his enemy.
Mohit became an insomniac... the death of their political enemy kept on stirring in his conscience for he was the main cause of that death.
Mon then realized these and learned the wisdom behind, the truth about life that he had witnessed. He met his friends on another occasion.
"I will keep these two hundred pesos very safe." Mon announced. 'Because this money thought me what joy is all about.
Happiness is nothing but the absence of sadness. All our life we chase happiness and stop living life. Happiness is not in reaching the destination.
It's in the journey. So all we have to do is try not to be unhappy, and automatically we will be happy."
2.
Oh, my beloved friends,
Do not be fooled by the elegant bends,
and the sweet fragrance of a road...
Do not suddenly hasten to run on that goal,
for your feet may be prickled by the hidden thorn.
Do not jump unmindful of the direction,
for you may stumble and fall,
Walk, walk upright so that you may stay in balance.
And enjoy every careful step that you take...
Come, come, oh my dear,
Let us walk... slow but tender.
Adopted from Life Mein Kabhi Kabhiee
