Acharya Prashant begins by explaining that the words "choice" and "happiness" belong to the same domain. Whenever the mind wants to make a choice, which involves selecting something and rejecting something else, the choice is intended to maximize happiness, either directly or indirectly. All choices are aimed towards happiness. Therefore, the question "Is it a choice to be happy?" is answered by the fact that all choices are made so that one may be happy. Even if one chooses to be unhappy, it is because, in some way, their happiness lies in being unhappy. Every single choice the mind makes is in the perceived direction of happiness. The speaker then points out a contradiction: despite choosing happiness, one does not necessarily get it, and even if happiness is obtained, it does not last. Our choices are often frustrated. To illustrate this, he gives an example of two students awaiting exam results. One is sure she will pass and is relaxed, while the other is uncertain and tense. When both find out they have passed, the one who was tense experiences greater, almost mad, happiness. This shows that for the same event, the mind that was more unhappy (tense) experiences more happiness. Happiness is experienced only in the background of its dualistic opposite: tension, sadness, or misery. The deeper the unhappiness, the greater the potential for happiness. This leads to the conclusion that to be happy, one must first be unhappy. The desire for happiness is a clear proof of unhappiness. If you are unhappy, you will surely get happiness, and the deeper your sadness, the more likely you are to soon be very happy. The speaker suggests that if you want to be happy, the trick is to become deeply sad. However, he presents an alternative choice: either chase happiness, which implies being unhappy, or drop the very question of happiness. Dropping the question of happiness means you no longer need it because you are already full. This state of inner fullness, where happiness is no longer needed, is called contentment or joy. Instead of asking for happiness, it is more important to investigate what we do to make ourselves sad and feel that something is lacking. Mankind is a lover of sadness; in a hundred ways, we stick to sadness, even while talking about wanting happiness. The speaker explains that we are born as limited beings, and this limitation is the source of the feeling that something is missing. We then try to fill this void with limited things from the worldâpossessions, relationshipsâwhich, being limited, ultimately bring more sadness. The solution is not to chase happiness but to drop sadness by understanding its source. By observing the mind and its limitations without identifying with them, one can go beyond them to a state of joy, which is not dependent on its opposite.
