Happiness is Free!

True, diamonds are a girl's best friend. True, money can buy everything. True, one cannot survive, let alone enjoy life without money. Having said all of that, I still believe that the best things in life don't cost anything. Picture this: You have all the riches in the world. Maybe to such an extent that you can afford to buy your own island, get a castle built up there, move around in your own personal jet. But then, you don't have anyone to share it with. No friends, no family, nobody. Imagine cracking a joke, and not sharing the laughter. Imagine having access to the best chocolates in the world, and having nobody to fight for it. Imagine, and imagine, getting a promotion and having no one to celebrate it with! Would that make you happy? Would you rather face some hardships with your loved ones or be stinking rich and alone?

I am not an ardent believer of philosophical theories, infact, a lot of times I condemn them. But some of them are just so true, that one cannot, even if they want to, ignore them. There is an unparalleled, lasting joy in those little things that one experiences, even if it is for a moment. Those moments weave our memories which we cherish and nurture for the years to come. These are the memories which help us sail through our most trying and testing times. A huge Sunday breakfast, running around with your dog, searching for a seashell, trying to catch hold of a butterfly, finding animals in the cloud, aren't these the things that dot our childhood? Do we end up remembering how much money we spent on our birthday dress, or how much cake was mashed into it? There is just a very thin line between having money and having happiness, and we, in our spree of ignorance, tend to skip that line. Trying to buy happiness is just like taking the stairs to reach the 42nd floor, when the elevator is fully functional!

Isn't it ironical? We run after money, keep slogging like the slaves from 18th century, fight with out loved ones, crib, beg, plead and even steal in the pursuit of being happy. What we forget is that quintessential happiness is, was and will always be, free.