<p>“I slept and dreamed that life was Beauty. I woke and found that life is Duty.”<br />These words of the poet are worth pondering over. No person on earth is born without duties. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Parents and teachers are at pains to emphasise this fact right from childhood, a student should study, the parent must provide and the citizen must obey the laws of the land. Failure to perform one’s duties results in chaos and confusion.<br /><br />True enough, but we are also told, time and again, that happiness lies in discharging one’s duties. Fulfilling duties means selfless work and even sacrifice. Often enough we are called upon to do not what we like, but what we are required to do. They are chores that drain us of our energy, leaving us exhausted and even ill tempered. How can this be called happiness? Moreover, do we not owe ourselves the duty of being happy, of doing what we want and not what we are expected to? How do we reconcile these two opposing factors?<br /><br />The answer lies in the fact that duty is not far removed from happiness. Consider this true story. Fleming, a poor farmer, heard a cry for help. He saw a boy knee-deep and drowning in slushy water. Acting quickly, he managed to save him. The next day, a richly dressed nobleman came to his house and thanked him profusely for having saved his son’s life. He added that it was his duty to reward Fleming handsomely. Fleming on his part countered that he too was doing just his duty. <br /><br />The nobleman then offered to educate Fleming’s son. The years passed and the son went on to become Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin. Then one day, the nobleman’s son developed severe pneumonia that laid him low. But penicillin saved his life and restored him to health. Who was the nobleman? It was Sir Randolph Churchill. His son was Sir Winston Churchill. Devotion to duty had in its wake brought happiness not to just the four people involved, but over the years to the world at large.<br /><br />Two important points emerge here. Doing exactly what one likes is pleasing and can bring happiness. But it is not without its limitations. Sooner or later, it proves transitory and unsatisfactory. It leaves one yearning for the company of others, their approval and their appreciation. But this can come only by paying attention to their needs – in other words, by doing one’s duty towards them. <br /><br />Secondly, deep within each of us lies the desire to find and give meaning to life. At some stage, sooner or later, each of us feels the need to break out from the shell of self-centredness, mingle with others and find inspiration and comfort in togetherness. With this comes the understanding that one has to serve in order to be served. With new-found clarity, we see that it is not only more blessed to give rather than receive, but also that it is in giving that we receive. While living for oneself may give pleasure, it is living for others that brings happiness. <br /></p>
<p>“I slept and dreamed that life was Beauty. I woke and found that life is Duty.”<br />These words of the poet are worth pondering over. No person on earth is born without duties. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Parents and teachers are at pains to emphasise this fact right from childhood, a student should study, the parent must provide and the citizen must obey the laws of the land. Failure to perform one’s duties results in chaos and confusion.<br /><br />True enough, but we are also told, time and again, that happiness lies in discharging one’s duties. Fulfilling duties means selfless work and even sacrifice. Often enough we are called upon to do not what we like, but what we are required to do. They are chores that drain us of our energy, leaving us exhausted and even ill tempered. How can this be called happiness? Moreover, do we not owe ourselves the duty of being happy, of doing what we want and not what we are expected to? How do we reconcile these two opposing factors?<br /><br />The answer lies in the fact that duty is not far removed from happiness. Consider this true story. Fleming, a poor farmer, heard a cry for help. He saw a boy knee-deep and drowning in slushy water. Acting quickly, he managed to save him. The next day, a richly dressed nobleman came to his house and thanked him profusely for having saved his son’s life. He added that it was his duty to reward Fleming handsomely. Fleming on his part countered that he too was doing just his duty. <br /><br />The nobleman then offered to educate Fleming’s son. The years passed and the son went on to become Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin. Then one day, the nobleman’s son developed severe pneumonia that laid him low. But penicillin saved his life and restored him to health. Who was the nobleman? It was Sir Randolph Churchill. His son was Sir Winston Churchill. Devotion to duty had in its wake brought happiness not to just the four people involved, but over the years to the world at large.<br /><br />Two important points emerge here. Doing exactly what one likes is pleasing and can bring happiness. But it is not without its limitations. Sooner or later, it proves transitory and unsatisfactory. It leaves one yearning for the company of others, their approval and their appreciation. But this can come only by paying attention to their needs – in other words, by doing one’s duty towards them. <br /><br />Secondly, deep within each of us lies the desire to find and give meaning to life. At some stage, sooner or later, each of us feels the need to break out from the shell of self-centredness, mingle with others and find inspiration and comfort in togetherness. With this comes the understanding that one has to serve in order to be served. With new-found clarity, we see that it is not only more blessed to give rather than receive, but also that it is in giving that we receive. While living for oneself may give pleasure, it is living for others that brings happiness. <br /></p>
