By Dr. Jonathan Isibor.
Last week, the second part of this article was published. Below is the last part:
How many of us take some time off to reap from Nature’s abundance locked up in our immediate environment? – the satisfaction derived from admiring the beautiful flowers on the shrubs and plants around us, the flowing waters in the streams and rivers; the romantic rays and energy emitted from the rising morning sun; the beautiful glow of the setting sun high up in the evening skies, or appreciating and surrounding ourselves with some choice colors; walking barefooted on the early morning dew on a lawn of green grass; How often do we listen to suitable music that resonates harmoniously with the energy centres of the body, or take a cool glass of water first thing in the morning and last thing before retiring for the night?
What about the numerous herbs in bushes around us, innocently ‘staring’ at us to attract attention?
These could be sources of happiness from which man could derive some measure of satisfaction!
In concluding this discourse, I enjoin us to reflect or meditate upon the following guidelines in our quest for happiness in life.
Firstly, man must learn to cultivate good thoughts. It is the law of life that we attract to ourselves conditions and circumstances by the attractive influence of our predominant thought. For it is by what we think and do that we draw to ourselves the events which make up our daily life.
In this regard, a sage once advised his disciple to watch his thoughts as they eventually make up his destiny.
Secondly, we should learn to rise above our self-imposed limitations, by visualizing greater possibilities for ourselves. We should always set aside certain periods of our precious time to commune with our inner self, listening to those urges that come from within us and interpret them as goals to be attained which can result in personal and lasting happiness.
We must realize that such goals do not necessarily have to be grandiose. Lesser and more realistic goals can be much more satisfying, but we must learn to work towards our goals.
Eliphas Levi once said that “Every intention, which does not assert itself by deeds, is vain intention, and the speech which expresses it is idle speech.
It is action which proves life and establishes will. Hence it is said in the sacred and symbolical books that men will be judged, not according to their thoughts and ideas, but according to their works.
We must act in order to be. In order to do a thing, we must believe in the possibility of our doing, and this faith must forthwith be translated into acts”.
Thirdly, we must learn how to be contented in life, in order to attract happiness to ourselves.
Success lies in satisfaction, not in wealth, position or power. You may acquire all the gems of the world and acquire authority over your fellow men, but if you have no satisfaction, you are a failure.
But if you can derive satisfaction from every bit of your daily labors and retire at night without the constant suspense of one’s mind in fear throughout one’s life, then you are truly a happy person.
Fourthly, in order to attract happiness, man must learn to plan and work with the cycles of life.
Was it not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures that: “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven?”
Certainly, man must abide by the law of cycles. When we are ignorant of nature’s laws, the possibilities of their affecting us unfavorably are greater because we inadvertently oppose them.
Man is ever affected by them, and his hope and salvation from diseases, pain and suffering, poverty and discomfort, lie in cooperating with natural and spiritual laws and applying them to his own advancement and happiness.
Fifthly, let us learn not to fret over inevitable experiences of life. Except man cultivates a balanced attitude to life’s daily problems, he soon becomes hypertensive and may suddenly cut short his lifespan.
Man must learn to appreciate the law of change. Any perceived failure in life should not be allowed to demoralize us and diminish our happiness in life.
Rather, failure should be realized to be a valid part of life’s experiences. Many great inventions or discoveries have come about only after a series of many failures.
In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‟Failure is part of success. A man’s success is made up of failures, because he experiments and ventures every day.
The power of persistence, of enduring defeats, is one of those forces which never loses its charm”.Johnson Steinbeck once remarked, “Somewhere in the world, there is defeat for everyone.
Some are destroyed by defeat and some made small by victory. Greatness lies in one who triumphs equally over defeat and victory”.
Every moment the clock ticks we realize, albeit sadly, that we do live in tumultuous times and in a world of strife; that the world may not conform to our expectations or personal preferences.
In such circumstances the wise man may need to shelve extremist and optimistic expectations and adjust his attitude. In adjusting to difficult circumstances however, we cannot help but join the Roman philosopher, Lucius Annaeus Seneca to pray the Serenity Prayer, thus:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next”. Amen.
Dr. Jonathan Isibor is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State of Nigeria. He can be reached at: joe_isibor@yahoo.com
