The Illusion Of Reflections!

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Gift Of Authentic Happiness

 

Picture By Casey Horner On Unsplash

 

As we all know the practice of gifting has existed since the beginning of human civilization. Some researchers believe that cavemen gave presents like unusually shaped rocks or animal teeth to strengthen social connections and show their appreciation to others. Gradually as social structures developed, the gifts became more embellished and fancy.

 

Once, a king had gifted his daughter, the princess, with a beautiful diamond necklace.

 

The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but couldn't find it. Some said a bird might have stolen it. The king then asked them all to search for it and put a reward of $50,000 for anyone who found it.

 

One day a clerk was walking home along a river next to an industrial area. This river was completely polluted, filthy, and smelly. As he was walking, the clerk saw a shimmering in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it to get the $50,000 reward.

 

He put his hand in the filthy, dirty river and grabbed at the necklace, but somehow missed it and didn’t catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the chain was still there. He tried again, this time he walked into the river and dirtied his pants in the filthy river, and put his whole arm in to catch the necklace. But strangely, he still missed the chain! He came out and started walking away, feeling depressed.

 

Then again he saw the necklace, right there. This time he was determined to get it, no matter what. He decided to plunge into the river, although it was a disgusting thing to do as the river was polluted, and his whole body would become filthy.

 

He plunged in and searched everywhere for the necklace and yet he failed. This time he was bewildered and came out feeling very depressed that he could not get the necklace that would get him $50,000.

 

Just then a saint walking by saw him and asked him what the matter was. The clerk didn’t want to share the secret with the saint, thinking the saint might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell the saint anything.

 

But the saint could see this man was troubled and being compassionate, again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk mustered courage and decided to put some faith in the saint.

 

He told the saint about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it but kept failing.

 

The saint then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, to ward the branches of the tree, instead of in the filthy river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was dangling on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to capture a mere reflection of the real necklace all this time.

 

Material happiness is just like the filthy, polluted river; because it is a mere reflection of the TRUE happiness in the spiritual world.

 

We can never achieve the happiness we want no matter how hard we endeavor in worldly life. Instead, we should look upwards, toward God, who is the source of real happiness, and stop chasing after the reflection of this happiness in the material world.

 

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