Making a Difference

The year 2012 is fast approaching the end. The pessimist in me is dreading the fact that the Mayan date of doom is approaching too, while the optimist in me (and thankfully it is much stronger than its negative counterpart) is enjoying the festivals that come with the last couple of months of the calendar year and making plans for the New Year bash which, when celebrated, will belie the doomsday prophecies.

Talking about festivals and festivities, be it Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year, these are no longer community specific or geography limited occasions. These are secular world festivals. And by no means just trivial festivals. Certainly not! Families plan the agendas and itineraries during these festival months of November – December as long as a year in advance. Purse strings are loosened and the currency bills start pouring out for new item purchases ranging from clothing for all family members to latest models of  entertainment electronics to big ticket items like computers, home theatre systems, Plasma TVs, cars, etc. etc. Product marketers go in overdrive with special offers in order to capture the largest chunk of the pie consisting of millions and millions of dollars. Destination marketers get busy sprucing up vacation spots and offerings in order to attract the maximum no. of vacationers. Name the business and you will find something or the other that is different from the routine, something special for this special season. In a nutshell, happy times for one and all.

One and all, did I say? I guess the enthusiasm of the festivities around spilled over in my thoughts and words, too. Let me review.

Happiness, as is said, is a state of mind. Being happy brings us joy and cheer which, in turn, makes us feel good. So it is for us to look for that joy and cheer in the surroundings and remain happy.

Is it that easy?

Yes it is, for the dad who gets a tight hug and the tag of "the best dad in this world" from his daughter when he gifts her with the latest Barbie Doll it is easy but what about the dad whose promise to his daughter was washed away by hurricane Sandy along with the entire structure which was their home?

For the couple who are travelling to Switzerland on their honeymoon, it is easy but for the couple who have just lost their child to Dengue fever the mind has become numb and life has come to a standstill.

For the children getting ready to go for a family reunion and Thanksgiving dinner at their grandparents’ home it is easy but for the children whose mother, the sole earning member in the family, is jobless for the past 10 months for the economy has taken a nosedive, finding something to eat in order to survive is a daily struggle.

And there are numerous such instances around us which we subconsciously tend to overlook for these instances are depressing and certainly can not bring us any joy or cheer.

Well, they can…if you consciously try to make a difference. 

Give some joy to the sorrowful eyes which have seen their world vanish in front of them. Give a smile to those lips which have forgotten this expression because of a cruel act of nature. Share your resources with those who are in an unfortunate state because of an untoward turn of circumstances.  A small act of benevolence  towards the people in need will not take much from you but the life that it will bring to them will give you a joy and cheer which will be plenty more than what you would have got had you sought material pleasures just for yourself. And the blessings that you will receive from those who you have cared for, who have smiled because of you will be countless. Are we not looking for being blessed?

“For it is in giving that we receive” – Francis of Assisi

Happy Thanksgiving!!