The whole purpose of life is to have happiness. All of us strive for it, work towards it and deep inside feel that it is the ultimate goal. Different people have different definitions of happiness but ultimately we all want it.

I feel giving back to society and helping its progress brings happiness and is also the main purpose of life. Giving back to society can be in any form like giving funds, ideas, food or in any way that one feels can help others without expecting anything in return.    

One can give back to society only when we have enough and have developed the wisdom and desire to share. That can happen by developing a powerful and satisfied mind. A mind which is always craving and greedy for wealth, fame and power and wants more and more cannot share and help society.

Concentrate on positive thought

How do we create a mind which is happy, at peace with itself and self-satiated?

Happiness is a state of mind and when the whole mind concentrates on a single object for a considerable amount of time, we get a sense of well-being. This is called Samadhi according to Patanjali Yoga.  I am sure each one of us have personally experienced episodes of happiness when we get completely engrossed in our work or do creative work which requires deep concentration.  During this process, we even lose the concept of time.  All great inventors and creative people have often said that they were so immersed in their work that they lost all sense of time and space.

Why does the whole mind concentrating on a single positive thought give us a sense of well-being? Part of the reason could be that with huge processing power it can resolve all conflicts so that we are at peace with ourselves.  Another reason could be that it is a mind-expanding exercise where our minds connect to the Universal Consciousness. Thus, all of us, when concentrating on a positive thought or an idea have knowingly or unknowingly connected to the Universal Mind resulting in happiness.

Detachment leads to happiness

The true feeling of happiness also results when we are not attached to anything including a person or an idea.  Detachment helps in reducing the formation of psychological knots in the brain. Psychological knots are produced when the brain is unable to properly resolve the balance between expectations and reality, resulting in formation of strong neural pathways or memories. More of such knots in the brain mean less brain processing power and resolution capability. The concept of detachment leading to happiness is also described in Gita and Patanjali Yoga.

Most of the attachments come because of the desire to possess or own either an object or an idea. Desire for possession comes from anxiety and fear of losing out and gives us a false sense of security. A powerful brain is able to resolve issues very effectively which reduces the desire for possession.

Sharing experiences

Once we have a powerful and satisfied mind then it allows us to share experience and knowledge with others and this brings happiness and contentment. I therefore feel that our real purpose in life is to first make our minds powerful and strong and then to give back the knowledge gained to others.

Thus all great discoveries, ideas and inventions have given tremendous amount of euphoria and happiness to the inventors.

It is also a law of nature that all great ideas and inventions sooner or later become known to mankind and help in its progress and evolution. Thus we should first find the truth and then share it with others.

In my own life whatever little I have discovered I have shared freely with others through my writings and speeches.

Positive knowledge sharing 

I, therefore, think all of us owe it to ourselves to write about our unique experiences and share them with others so that the overall knowledge and experiences of mankind increase. This is the best way to enhance the evolutionary process.  

Thus the knowledge sharing via the internet and other means helps all of us. Though there are sometimes kinks in this sharing since fake news, wrong information can harm, but overall humans possess the mechanism of self-correction so that proper and continuous evolution takes place.    

So let us all live a happy, fruitful and energetic life by maximising our experience and sharing it with and helping others. That is the whole purpose of life! 

(The writer is Director and Hon. Secretary, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, Phaltan, Maharashtra. Views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at anilrajvanshi@gmail.com)