The happiest years of one’s life!

What Does Happiness Really Mean?

GUEST COLUMN: Dr N Prabhudev

Bengaluru Express
Bengaluru, Aug. 14: For sure- It’s not the same for everyone! For Me, Happiness Is… It’s a monsoon’s first rain after a cruel summer. It’s the symphony in a new-born’s first cry. It’s the rainbow — a bridge of colours, stretching after a storm, when the sky quietly breathes. It’s a whisper. A hum. A barefoot walk through memory. The air feels crisper. Food tastes richer. Words sound like poetry. Poetry sounds like music! Happiness doesn’t need words. It understands tears. It understands silence. It sits with you quietly, no questions asked.
Its warm food shared under a tin roof, with thunder rumbling in the background. Its old songs and young dreams. Its messy hair and unfiltered laughter. Happiness Is Fragile, Fierce, and Fleeting! Yes, it can vanish. It can slip through fingers like sand or disappear like breath on glass.
Not all words can catch the real essence of happiness! Happiness is an elusive concept. It is always there at a distance; waiting on the horizon with all its promise of unlimited joy. It overflows, spills, and sometimes even drowns logic. And oh, often intoxicating it is. Not Everyone Has Met Happiness! Some hearts wander a lifetime without truly meeting happiness. They’ll speak of wholeness, of a moment of silence after chaos. Of a kind word on a cruel day. Of the sudden burst of color in an otherwise grey world!
When are the best years of our life? Is it during childhood, when we only have schoolwork to worry about; our early 20s, partying through the weekends; into our 30s and 40s, with a more developed lifestyle and the money to help it; or even retirement, when we get to focus on the things that truly make us happy?
Happiness, has long been believed, follows a curve: It’s high when one is young, dips in midlife, and then rises again as one gets older. The U-shaped curve that pegged youth and old age as the happiest times of life has changed!
Nostalgia often takes us back to our twenties – period teetering between the remnants of carefree adolescence and the looming responsibilities of adult life. Let’s be honest, those were also the years when we were at our physical peak. At 20, you are invincible! Happiness arrives in your early thirties. Being 30 is like being 20 again- well almost, but with better financial stability and a more stylish wardrobe. What more could you ask for?
The transition from youth to maturity. It is the age-old trope of the mid-life crisis is probably one of the unhappiest period of ones life! People are again happy at around the age of 60 plus years. Age isn’t the only factor; it’s when several aspects of our lives align to give a certain sense of mental and emotional contentment.
Is Money The Key To Happiness? Yes and No, Money is just one of many things that matter for happiness! I am told multimillionaires are much happier than the merely well-to-do – with no ceiling. But, all else equal, people tend to be happier the more money they have.
I just want my kids to be happy.
As a kid happiness is – Bubble bliss, giggles galore, nothing’s better than a candy store! Mud pies and sky highs, Splashing puddles, no troubles, just raindrop cuddles. Politics, money, and religion are probably non-existent worries in their lives!
Teenagers and happiness! Teens are less happy and less satisfied with their lives than they were just five years ago. The question is: Why? Teens’ well-being dropped suddenly around the time smartphones became common! They spend less time with their friends in person and more time online and in front of the screens! The strongest correlation with happiness is sleep — teens who say they get more than seven hours of sleep more nights are happier.
Our children are now entering the world of teenage. They become aware of their changing bodies, they try to copy others or try to build their own style. Their friendship pattern changes, it becomes deeper and they want more freedom now. They work hard to achieve their goals, to crack entrance tests to get into the college or university of their own choice.
Young Adulthood Is No Longer One of Life’s Happiest Times! Once considered one of the happiest phases of life, it has taken a troubling turn! Despite living in an era of unprecedented technological advancement, increased connectivity and overall economic growth, their happiness is on the decline!
The declining happiness of young adults is not happening in isolation – Increased screen time has led to declines in face-to-face social interaction, which is crucial for mental health. Young adults today face job market uncertainty. Many feel financially insecure, Young people are navigating an increasingly unpredictable world.
Aging gracefully!
There’s a common belief that your younger years are your happiest. Life begins at 65, so they say. We enter this phase of life barely prepared for the life-changing events that come with it. Health is a gift never to be taken for granted! As I’ve navigated my own aging process, I’ve come to realize that the key to a joyful later life is gratitude! There’s nothing quite like the feeling of living a life aligned with your values!

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Chandrashekar G

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