Contentment is Within Us

Many a times, I have seen people endowed with all pleasure of life, still wanting peace and contentment. They have nearly all possible luxuries of life yet they wander in search of contentment and tranquility.

What actually is contentment?

 It is a state of mind which largely depends upon our character and moral values than our possessions. A beggar becomes satisfied with a coin while a king or a ruler is not satisfied with all his wealth.

Respite all success and prosperity, we feel discontented chiefly because of insatiable nature of our desires. There is always a tendency to long for something better than our existing state. Things beyond reach attract us and appear to be valuable, once acquired, they lose value, and hence it’s obvious for us, to be always dissatisfied and running to get more and more.

This attitude is due to the weaknesses of character in most of the people. Though, there are people who are naturally blessed with a contended mind frame. On a deep thought, we will realize that discontentment is developed and nourished by the comparisons drawn between the desirable things possessed by our fortunate neighbors, which we lack and are devoid of. We will find practically none, not to be blessed at all by the Lord Gracious. Yet we are always desiring others’ possessions and not being thankful for whatever we have been blessed with. Contentment is to be derived from within. You cannot get from external sources. It’s something which is within ourselves and we are to bring it to surface. Happiness and success are two entirely different entities.  A successful man may not be the happiest one but a happy man will surely be a success in life.

Happiness can be achieved only, if you are contended from within. Happiness cannot be pretended or faked. It comes from within. If we are happy and contended, it will radiate and will be evident. Contentment can be easily cultivated by looking at the brighter side of life rather than wandering waywardly in the darkness. Discontentment spreads its tentacles and wipes out the peace of mind and we are never satiated and satisfied, in the mad race for achieving what others’ have materialistically. We sacrifice our principles, values and even ignore conscience in an attempt to materialize our desires and fulfilling our discontented mind. The obvious result is loss of peace, poise and contentment.