Monday, September 24, 2012

Happiness

As most agree, it is a state of mind influenced by external inputs.Few days ago I was very happy when Khalin  became the number one amateur golfer of the country. That he also broke the course record by playing the round in 62 strokes only added to the pleasure.His father Hitesh Joshi [a scratch golfer] is a personal friend, topped my cup of joy. Khalin Joshi who is all 18 years will turn pro by the year end, and I hope he will keep making us happy.

Some days I feel happy even when there is no such input. This kind of stupid happiness and elation is akin to feeling sad for no reason. A state of mind devoid of all thoughts is supposed to give one great mental peace and many are the methods of meditation that are taught to achieve this. I have failed to achieve a thoughtless brain or mind.

As you age and see the world around you becoming increasingly unfamiliar, you begin to think that it is the ageing process. This is not really true. It happens because you are no longer in the thick of things and your utility to the community is much less or not at all.This creates a sense of dejection and older persons thus become mentally and physically aloof. The only way one can avoid this state of mind is to keep it occupied.

Occupying the mind is not easy with out exercising the senses. If one is idle then he will be forced to live in the past and his company will be so tiresome that people will avoid him adding to the misery. Using the eyes to appreciate the beauty around you, ears to listen to fine sounds of music, nose to smell the scent of flowers or aroma of a cup of coffee or the whiff out of a bottle of mature single malt whiskey, get the warmth of the morning sun and the cooling breeze of the evening wind on to your bare skin, stretch your muscles and bones. These activities will keep your brain cells so occupied that the mind [ a collection of past and present thoughts] has very little time for mischief and this is the best way to avoid depression of  old age.

Talking of old age, many elderly are over medicated. Older persons need lesser and fewer medications. But I see the reverse. Any number more than four is not easy to follow. I mean if one were to take four medications at different times, one can be sure that an elderly man or woman will not follow the regimen.
Most vitamins, minerals, tonics, nose drops eye drops, ear drops are useless and waste of good money. Medication for high BP should be such that pressure doesn't fall too much.Low BP is as much of a problem as the high BP.

It is time I stop these ramblings of my mind which started with some thing and ended up with some thing else.

Old age?

1 comment:

Deepak Misra said...

Very well written Doctor. It would be good to give some more tips on how to keep the mind occupied.