TODAY -

E-Pao! Essays - Know Yourself

Know Yourself, Set Your Goals Right And Aim For Absolute Happiness In This Life Or Any Other Lives!!

By: M. Rameshwar Singh (Ramay)

"Do not Follow me, I am also Lost" once the famous Krishnamurthy told his followers. Its true even the famous personalities of all times are not really sure of where they are heading in life… what is the mission statement of their life, and they too get lost in the clouds of life…. OR Is it debatable to make life a mission oriented phenomenon or it has just to be lived, celebrated and rejoiced as the great philosophers think? Whatever it may be, one thing is for sure, all of us ordinary or great human beings all long for one common thing that is TRUE HAPPINESS! How do we get that true happiness? What is true happiness anyway? Or does True happiness actually exist? I believe true happiness actually exist. Phillophers and religious gurus say that unhappiness is caused by desire and Selflessness brings Happiness! But what a human we will be without Desire? We wont be human if we don't have desire! If God created man to have human desires and we decide not to have desire are not we going against the creator Himself?

Selflessness….. What does it mean? Does it mean not having any attachment to anything? But if one is not attached wont the world become so fragmented in terms of human relations? Or does it mean giving everything up for others? Does a selfless man anyway have anything? Anything to be given to anyone! Without having attachment or sense of belonging then can we celebrate life? Can we rejoice? When we see a needy anywhere, want to give him something but have nothing materialistic or that matters to his life with us, and we cannot give and are helpless, seeing others sad, can we rejoice life? Can we be happy? I doubt!! Are the phillophers contradicting themselves? They talk of life after death, giving up present comfort for future happiness? Does a future, a life after death exists? If you believe, it EXISTS! Life is what you believe in! What you believe in! What makes you happy now! Do you have the answer? That is the most significant issue for this generation. If you are not happy now how can you be happy tomorrow, cause as they say tomorrow is the resultant effect of your today and today is the resultant effect of your yesterday. True happiness is that happiness that comes today without having to have to sacrifice that of yesterday or tomorrow.

For me the most significant thing is what you believe in this moment, now? Are you happy now? Real-time? If you are not happy now how can you be happy the next moment? Moreover It is not assured that happy moment that is coming now is going to last forever so why not enjoy that moment now when it is there.

But does this mean that we over enjoy today by borrowing some from tomorrow…without taking precautions or planning for tomorrow? Exhaust all your resources of happiness? NO! We need to plan for tomorrow and learn from yesterday even for happiness just like we plan our day-to-day activity.

But how do we know how much of happiness we need when and where? This is exactly why I say one needs to understand oneself? What are ones aspirations, why these aspirations are there? Is this because of certain short term or long term missions that one chose for one's life? I think so. For me like any other normal phenomenon of life…life itself has to be properly planned to have lived to the fullest. And as you all know planning is always mission oriented. Life without any mission will be like a boat made to be sailed but moored at the bay, rusted, the very purpose of its own creation defeated. Mission is the source from where happiness will come. Mission will differ from person to person .as God has created us in our own moulds? But I am sure God has a mission or purpose for all of us in this life. There is a purpose for which all of us either great or ordinary are born? Many of us are lost and are not able to find that mission which God has made us for and we thus die ordinary. A few of us are able to find what we are born for and those few become great people. The potential to be great is there in all of us. The difference is in only being able to discover the purpose for which we are born.…. the art of knowing oneself…oneself which exist in that fulcrum of equilibrium to balance oneself and rest of the world around you.

Happiness in itself of course as normally people feel is relative? But true happiness is not relative but absolute. Happiness could be contagious but it is not necessary that the same cause that brought happiness to someone will bring happiness to another? This is because aspirations and expectations of life are different from person to person. So it is very important for one to know what makes one happy.

It is true that one cannot remain happy throughout….It is the law of nature as there is sunrise, noon and sunset there is happiness , stillness and sadness . There is life and death …there is good and bad.…but then how do we exist….we exist in balance, in equilibrium .. Equilibrium a state of mind and body that brings us happiness ..it has an absoluteness and permanence about it…but many of us today are not clear of our goals in life. Goals those are permanent in terms of generating happiness and of course resources to enable us to carry on life. You must be wondering why I put that HAPPINESS before the RESOURCES. Coz happiness is the end in itself whereas RESOURCES is the means to that ultimate happiness.

One thing that all of us ordinary or great people equally need and long for is true happiness even though the source of happiness differs from person to person. So what makes a person or unmake a person is that source…what is that source…what makes us happy? But then there is also the view that true happiness is when you get happiness without having stolen others happiness. So knowing what makes one happy is really important. This is what I mean by KNOW YOUTSELF.I am also of the view that unless and until one is truly happy one cannot give happiness to others. In order to give anything to anyone first you have got to posses it yourself. It is my experience that true happiness and pure knowledge are the only two things that don't get exhausted even if you give away, rather it multiplies well inside you. The ultimate way to get true happiness is by knowing oneself first and then those with whom one lives and interacts with. This involves understanding even aspirations of others who bears significance to ones life.

To know oneself again one needs to understand all those that has gone into making oneself…like what is the education one has had, what is food one is taking, what is the social and economic environment in which one is existing, what experiences one has had and which in turn brings out the type of aspirations one has built up over a period of time. Even on which part of the planet one is born also affects ones aspirations I guess. Even though all these factors aren't under our control one can try to optimize the same by choosing to live purely in mind, thought and action. It is a well known fact that the Japanese after the defeat of the first two World Wars took a bow that they all will fight a Third World War in which they are not going to lose, that is the war of economics. They have taken a bow and to achieve what they have aspired they would work and work till they reach their goal and ultimately give that sense of achievement and happiness. That is how people say a Japanese employee has literally to be forced to go on a holiday. It is since 1947 that they have taken that bow and you see where they are now today. Because of a conscious bow they have taken ..determined to be achieved. A bow that became the nations aspiration and became the Japanese way of life…made and traditionalized by that society itself in terms of social acceptance and economic welfare. A person, who works very hard, honestly is treated as a good Japanese and higher recognition is given socially for those who does so with unquestionable sincerity and patriosm.

This is a living example to state that if one consciously decides to achieve something sets a goal for oneself with unquestionable determination it is bound to bring success and if that aspiration or goal has been chosen correctly it is bound to give the happiness one is looking for in life.

So to bring individual and integrated happiness to the society let us all set our goals correctly and go all out to achieve it. ……in other words for every problem in life let us find a way or make a way and change that problem into an opportunity.


* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.




LATEST IN E-PAO.NET
  • Abdul Hafiz graveyard at Imphal War Cemetery
  • Violence in Manipur 2023-2026 : Timeline
  • Homecoming : Exhibition at Washington DC
  • Why NSCN-IM & ZUF must preserve Naga
  • The Funeral of Kindness :: Poem
  • Dignified menstruation for gender equality
  • World Environment Day 2026
  • Welcomes New DGP
  • Coming together of the indigenes
  • Martyrs' Day @ Cheiraoching #3 : Gallery
  • Showcasing product from IDPs at Switzerland
  • The abduction & 'murder' of 6 Naga civilians
  • Why keep returning to Regional Politics ?
  • One missed coffee & a full existential crisis
  • Trekking, Camping banned in Nongmaiching
  • Avocados Cultivation Programme at Pangin
  • Guwahati Open PWR 200 concluded
  • Focus on flip flop stand of the UNC
  • The King Who Came from the Sky: Pakhangpa
  • SoO : An assault on native people of Manipur
  • Manipur - Example of Underdevelopment
  • Cries in Agony :: Poem
  • 'CCpur & Kpi Road no longer safe'
  • Home Ground: Meghalaya Future of Tourism
  • Burnout healthcare staff & patient safety
  • Fate of hostages : Flip of the coin ?
  • Chakan Gang-Ngai 2026 : Ooba Video
  • Unfinished requiem- Linthoingambi & Hemanjit
  • "Ningol Van" Launched at Taobungkhok
  • Calm reflection vis a vis brute violence : Poem
  • Foundation Days of States/UT
  • World No Tobacco Day 2026
  • Breast Cancer Awareness in Guwahati
  • Licensed to create mayhem ?
  • How to Break Manipur w/o Breaking Any Laws
  • 17th Manipur State Film Awards (MSFA), 2025
  • World We Make, World That Makes Us : Poem
  • Counting Right, Voting Right: What SIR means
  • Calls on Indonesia to ratify tobacco treaty
  • Honourable exit for Ashutosh & Kailun
  • Police Museum at 1st Manipur Rifles
  • Eid-Ul-Zuha @Sangaiyumpham : Gallery
  • June Calendar for Year 2026 : Tools
  • 16th Manipur State Film Awards (MSFA), 2024
  • KIM's proposed rally must be called off
  • International Menstrual Hygiene Day
  • Plants : The force that engineered Earth
  • AC: How does it affect the skin ?
  • Onslaughts at Ukhrul district
  • Lhangpat Mei @Keishamthong #2: Gallery
  • Anthem of Switland :: Poem
  • CM visits Makhan Naga Village
  • Manipur University needs fresh air
  • False Narrative on Killing of Thadou Christian
  • Summer Coaching Camp 2026 @NSU
  • Tribute to Pu Mangvung Paokholun Haokip
  • Incursion from across the border
  • Radio E-pao: 5 new songs updated
  • Manipuri Community in Assam Calls for Vision
  • School dropouts & never-enrolled children
  • M. Tech at Assam University
  • Under One Sky or Leased ? :: Poem
  • When AI speaks in tribal languages
  • 'The Unbecoming' makes Northeast debut
  • After crossing the three year mark
  • Cheirao-chingkaba on Cheiraoba #2: Gallery
  • Anoi Group Art Exhibition 2026 : Download
  • Exploring Hyderabad's Museums #1
  • Maharaja Garib Niwaz : Manipuri civilisation #4
  • IEC Campaign at Willong Khullen
  • World Emergency Medicine Day 2026
  • Liver & GI super-speciality clinic
  • Adding more muscle to State Police
  • Rally at New Checkon- May 25 : Gallery
  • Hritwika Majumder at Miss Grand India 2026
  • How social media fuels division & ethnic tension
  • Saving Manipur's vanishing paddy & wetland
  • Helpline for Thadou people
  • 477 new Manipur Police Vehicles
  • NDPP-NPF merger accepted by ECI
  • Seeking to pitch Nagas against Meiteis
  • 63rd Mr. Manipur #3 : Gallery
  • Why CJP resonates with Manipur's youth
  • A moral, humanitarian reflection on violence
  • Financial assistance to IDPs
  • Legally binding treaty for older persons
  • Zoonotic Disease : Link animal & human
  • Jealous of Meloni
  • Making the bodies disappear !
  • Yaoshang - Cooking Competition : Gallery
  • Manipur State Award for Literature 2024
  • Manipur's unresolved Political Journey
  • 'Kuki is not an ethnic name'
  • Miyawaki Plantation Experiment at Langol
  • A Ploy to Keep the Chasm Wide Open : Poem
  • 45th Water India Expo 2026
  • Beating of the Retreat #1: Gallery
  • Martyred Rev Dr Vumthang Sitlhou
  • When Ima Weeps in Silence :: Poem
  • International Eld's Deer Day
  • Sticking to a consistent narrative
  • Arms recovered from Lamdeng: Gallery
  • Khatingla, Sumpa, Gaikhuluanlung : Eming
  • Exploring Kolkata: College Street #1
  • Wetland grabbing, hydropower, & ecologies
  • Condoles Demise of Khangembam Kuleswar
  • Upgradation of Imp-Jiri road: Poor planning
  • IEC Campaign at Phaibung, Senapati
  • In a mess for over 3 years now
  • The King Who Built a Golden Bridge : Kyampa
  • Mother's Day at Pukhao : Gallery
  • Manipur in India Constitutional Transition #3
  • Satyajit Ray's universal language
  • Decoding MLR & LR Act, 1960 & Article 371C
  • National Endangered Species Day 2026
  • India-New Zealand step into a new eco league
  • Posers over fate of abducted 6 Naga men
  • Sit-in protest @Kanglatongbi [May 18]: Gallery
  • Why communities must abandon hostility
  • Apatani's Next Top Model @Arunachal
  • The Fog of Uncertainty :: Poem
  • IEC Campaign at Song Song, Senapati
  • Supports TIM Proposal for Thadou-Naga
  • NE's Largest Psychiatric Hospital
  • Triangular clash underway in Manipur
  • Lamjen @ Thangjing Haraoba #1: Gallery
  • From Sympathy to Supremacy :: Poem
  • History repeats itself
  • Church Teams to visit Kangpokpi & Senapati
  • Workshop on Analytical Chromatography
  • Criminal Neglect, Terror Shielding
  • Summer make-up tricks to beat the heat
  • Pulling the strings to block the highways
  • Manipur Art Festival 2025 #3: Gallery
  • Manipur fermented food & scientific recognition
  • Seminar : Development of NE Region
  • World Hypertension Day 2026
  • Demands NIA Probe into Killing of Thadous
  • Suspected cases of Ranikhet Disease
  • PM's prescriptions & we
  • Flexing muscle on the roads of Imphal
  • Cheiraoba Chak Katpa #2: Gallery
  • Maharaja Garib Niwaz : Manipuri civilisation #3
  • The Dreamer's Dilemma :: Poem
  • Calls for Community Understanding
  • CM visits National Sports University
  • Condemns malicious press release
  • Reconnecting with our cultural roots
  • Condoles Death of Thadou Church Leaders
  • Yumjao Lairembi Haraoba #1 : Gallery
  • Manipur in India Constitutional Transition #2
  • Chronicle of princes & people's long defeat
  • SIR of Electoral Roll-Phase III
  • Program on New Income Tax Act, 2025
  • Book on Information, Reality, Life
  • 'Unfortunate incident at Zero Point'
  • Where is the Government poser
  • Sit-in protest @Kanglatongbi [May 14]: Gallery
  • 3 years on : Manipur's long road to peace
  • Int'l Triathlon Yengkhom Suraj felicitated
  • Ethniciity of Thadou Martyr Church Leaders
  • Colonial Knowledge Production in NE #22
  • Condemns Killing of Thadou Church Leaders
  • Condemns Attack on Thadou Church Leaders
  • Peace will Outlive Violence
  • Indo-Naga Talks (From 2012) :: Timeline
  • Bloody Night
  • Good girls first take care of themselves
  • Candlelight Vigil @ Bangalore #2 : Gallery
  • Maharaja Garib Niwaz : Manipuri civilisation #2
  • The Green Foundation recognised as a SIRO
  • Waithou Rally condemn civilian killing: Gallery
  • Manipur in India Constitutional Transition #1
  • Chahi Taret Khuntakpa
  • HSLC Exam 2026 : Full Result
  • HSLC Exam 2026 : Pass % : Govt Schools
  • HSLC Exam 2026 : Pass % : Aided Schools
  • HSLC Exam 2026 : Pass % : Private Schools
  • HSLC Exam 2026 : Withheld-students
  • HSLC Exam 2026 : Compartmental candidates
  • HSLC Exam 2026 : Statistical Abstract
  • HSLC Exam 2026 : Important Information
  • Cheirao-chingkaba on Cheiraoba #1: Gallery
  • Chandel District Head Quarters : Gallery
  • Indigenous Leaders Call for Global Recognition
  • International Women's Day : Gallery
  • Subika Art Exhibition @Washington : Gallery
  • Candlelight Vigil @ Bangalore #1 : Gallery
  • Vegetables @ Waithou Keithel #2 : Gallery
  • Conflict, Displacement in Manipur (2023-2026)
  • Tronglaobi: 2 children laid to rest : Gallery
  • Leingakta Wahang Khongchat #2 : Gallery
  • Martyrs' Day @ Cheiraoching #2 : Gallery
  • Featured Front Page Photo 2026 #2: Gallery
  • Free Online access to 'Asangba Nongjabi
  • Lhangpat Mei @Keishamthong #1 : Gallery
  • Candlelight vigil: Killing at TM Kasom : Gallery
  • Fractured sovereignty : Proxy war
  • Mama, I love you- Then the world went silent
  • Khongjom Day @ Khebaching : Gallery
  • Tronglaobi: Meira Rally #2 [16 Apr]: Gallery
  • Final Merit List : Manipur Civil Services 2022
  • HSE : Pushpa K, H Keniya, P Taibangnganba
  • Yohen Longjam : HSE 2026 : Science Topper
  • Sarangthem Ayingbi : HSE 2026 : Arts Topper
  • Thoihenba Thongam : HSE 2026: Commerce
  • HSE 2026: Science Full Result
  • HSE 2026: Arts Full Result
  • HSE 2026: Commerce Full Result
  • HSE 2026: Pass % - Govt / Non Govt
  • HSE 2026: Pass % - District Institutes
  • HSE 2026: Subject-wise Pass %
  • HSE 2026: Candidates securing Highest Mark
  • HSE 2026: Science Topper List
  • HSE 2026: Arts Topper List
  • HSE 2026: Commerce Topper List
  • Tronglaobi: Clashes @Lamlong 17 Apr: Gallery
  • The great Manipur betrayal
  • Tronglaobi: Meira Rally #1 [16 Apr]: Gallery
  • MoU between Nouwa Marup Pune & IBI
  • Tronglaobi: Meira Rally [15 Apr]: Gallery
  • Most Heinous Murder: Derailing Normalisation
  • Martyrs' Day @ Cheiraoching #1 : Gallery
  • Tronglaobi : Rally @ Uripok [12 Apr]: Gallery
  • Killing of 2 children @ Tronglaobi : Gallery
  • Yaoshang Thabal Chongba #2: Gallery
  • Of 'Boong', BAFTA, Bharat & Manipur
  • Boong & the Long Road of Regional Cinema
  • Boong: India's 1st BAFTA in children's cinema
  • PUCL Tribunal report: A shadow of partiality #3
  • PUCL Tribunal report: A shadow of partiality #2
  • PUCL Tribunal report: A shadow of partiality #1