Lifeline to save us from unhappiness
Some years ago, an expatriate Kiwi returned here on holiday.
She reported that as she stepped off the plane, a cloud of negativity descended on her.
Throughout her stay she could not shake it off and was pleased to leave.
There is so much unhappiness in this country
that, even during this festive season, it seems to consume us - as though something is missing from our lives that, if it were to be replaced, would help us to disperse the negativity.
To discover what this is we must "look outside the square" of our own lives and contemplate life itself - that which we call nature.
On Earth, many other forms of life that are not human have successfully evolved. Nature takes care of its own - instinctively, intuitively.
Somehow we've distanced ourselves from this natural process. We may not even consider ourselves to be a part of nature now.
The result is that, despite our advanced intelligence, often we don't manage our lives as easily as other species. We're so overwhelmed by stresses and time constraints that we've stopped listening to our intuition.
Oh, we know it's there, all right. We've all had instinct niggle at us by way of conscience. But who takes any notice of their conscience these days? We're too busy doing things our own way.
If given the chance, the inner man that cries out in us would, through prayer or meditation, rescue us from our unhappiness.
Human beings are supposedly above all other forms of life, so it's reasonable to suggest that nature could do more for us than it already does for its flora and fauna.
But when the human mind is off at a tangent somewhere, worrying about income, health and all the other everyday problems, we just don't listen to the still small voice of intuition because it seems too insignificant.
However, it is that attitude, even though an accepted factor of modern life, which is the barrier to our intrinsic sense of well-being and freedom.
Happiness is not just an emotional condition; it is a state of mind. It is the rich and festive inheritance of every person alive today.
And it's free.
