Be Happy in spite of Problems

Jatin, who worked in a private job, was not happy with his life. He used to feel hounded by one problem or other all the time.

He came to know about a guru camping with his convoy near the town who was very famous for his wisdom. Many people were approaching him with their troubles. Jatin decided to meet the guru and seek solution to his unhappiness.

When he went to meet the guru, he had to wait for his turn as there was a big crowd of people wanting to meet him.

He described his situation to the guru, “Baba, I am fed up with my life. I have so many troubles – stress of work at office, fights at home, financial and health issues. Please guide me how can I tackle my problems and regain my happiness.

The guru heard him patiently, smiled and said,” Son, it is already late today. I will answer your query tomorrow, in the meantime, I want you to do something for me. My convoy has hundred camels. Please stay awake and keep a watch on them tonight till all of them sit down.”

The guru retired to his tent leaving Jatin to watch the camels.

Next morning, the guru called Jatin and asked, “How did your night go?”

Jatin replied, “It was horrible baba. I could not sleep at all. I tried my best, but I could not get all the camels to sit down. One or the other kept standing up throughout the night.”

The guru said,” son, you discovered last night that you cannot get all the camels to sit together howsoever hard you try. As one of them sits down, another one stands up. If you stay awake waiting for all the camels to sit, you will not get to sleep at all.

Your troubles are like these camels. As long as we are alive, we get to face many difficulties. As we solve one issue, another one raises its ugly head. You can never get rid of all the troubles in one go.”

“What should we do then?” Asked Jatin curiously.

“Let us not wait for all troubles to go away before we enjoy life. Think again how it went last night:

• Many camels sat down on their own as the night descended.
• You managed to get some of them to sit down with your efforts.
• A few camels were really stubborn, and did not sit when your efforts. Many of them sat down on their own later on.

You can take a lesson from this about how to view your troubles:

• Some problems get resolved on their own.
• You can solve some of the issues with your efforts.
• Still there are problems that will remains unsolved despite your best efforts. Leave such issues alone and they will get sorted out with time.

Life will always have some difficulties. It does not mean that we lose the peace of mind thinking about them all the time. Don't wait for all the camels to sit down before you start to enjoy life. Relax and have a good night’s sleep. At the right moment, the problems will get resolved on their own.

Learn the secret of staying happy in the midst of difficulties.”