The Beggar's Secret

Vaishali was in the grip of a dry spell that year. There was no rain for months.. no crop as a result. People did not have enough to eat or drink. King Siddharth was trying his best to help, but still could not do much in the face of such a natural calamity. He used to go on regular rounds to get first hand information of the situation on the ground, and it had become a depressing ritual now. Wherever he went, he encountered misery, hunger, cries, and gloomy faces. The situation was hopeless and was getting more and more desperate every day. Every one was praying for just one thing - rains.

So Siddharth was obviously surprised when he noticed a man sitting under a tree, smiling and singing a song. The sight of the happy man continued to haunt him that day and he made it a point to visit that area next day. The man was there, sitting confidently under the tree, smiling and singing like previous day. Siddharth kept watching him with amazement for a long time.. and then came back wondering about him. He observed the man for next several days.. and he remained equally happy on all occasions.

"What is the secret of his happiness?", This question started dominating Siddharth's mind so much that he found it hard to concentrate on anything else. He started seeing the smiling man in his dreams as well. Finally he decided to find the answer of this question troubling him and approached the man on his next round of state. As he went near the man, he noticed for the first time that the man was holding a begging bowl in his hand. "He is a beggar.. still he is so happy, how?", the king's curiosity got further multiplied.

He asked the beggar, "Whenever I pass from here, I see you being happy, while everyone else is miserable. I myself am not happy even if I have money, expensive cloths, palace, family and power. You don't have anything.. what is the secret of your happiness in spite of such a gloomy situation?"

The beggar said, "My happiness is based on two simple beliefs:

1. God gifts challenges to each of us depending on our capacity. Bigger challenges are given to those who are more capable.
2. Every new challenge we encounter makes us stronger."

"Okay, how does that make you happy?", the king was getting more curious now.

The beggar continued, "Whenever I face more hardships than others, I feel satisfied that I am the chosen one, since I am stronger. This makes me happy and lets me focus on facing the situation with confidence. Once I cross the difficult situation, I feel good that I am stronger now."

"I believe that wherever I am, in howsoever challenging situation, is the right one for me. All I need to do is to just put in my best effort in the situation and there is no point worrying about it. These thoughts act as a warm positive protective cover for me, that shields me from feeling miserable and keeps my happiness intact."

If a beggar can feel happy in spite of having every reason to feel miserable, what is preventing you and me from adopting the same attitude?