Happily Unhappy

By Dr Maitreyee Joshi

I meet some people who make me rethink about the laws that govern the human mind. Do all people really crave positive events and happenings around them or are they happy when they perceive unhappiness around them?

When my daughter was born and I was ecstatic, two elderly gentlemen came and consoled me saying that I must try to be happy and that it's okay to have a girl and not to worry, I will get a boy later. I wondered whether they really meant what they said or if their trying to make me enraged was a purposeful act.

Once a couple came to my clinic and after a check up I told the husband to get a cataract surgery done for one of his eyes.

After all the eye related talk came to an end, he spoke up, "You know what, Doctor? My sons are in a good financial position and so there is no problem in getting any operation done. You charge whatever you want, I am ready."

I nodded.

He started again, " I have one grief in life."

I asked, " What is it?"

He replied,"I have no grandson. All are granddaughters."

I brushed him aside, " So what? That is nothing to be unhappy about!"

He persisted," You have only one daughter?"

I replied," Yes, why?"

He sighed,"I can understand your grief."

I opened my mouth to say something but then I decided to let it go. I reached a conclusion that there was no point.

Today the patient came again to get his second eye operated. He saw my knee brace because of my recent surgery and exclaimed," Tch, tch, tch ! You seem to have had an operation on your knee. Nothing good happens in this world...I tell you, everything is going wrong in this world !"

I wanted to say," I am quite happy that the operation went well, that I am able to walk well now, that the surgery prevented further complications etc etc or that happiness depends upon us to feel."

But then I refrained, lest I feared, I would have completely spoiled his mood."

By Dr Maitreyee Joshi