Happiness and Success 23

This looks like a very ambitious dream at a time when prices are going up because of the World’s Oil Crisis. Jokes about that crisis are plenty. Here is one example. There is a modern way to sabotage the economy of a nation — by sending it many surplus automobiles even at low low prices in order to tempt the public to keep on burning fuel until their wallets are finally empty. But we know that wisdom is supreme. A society that is blessed with wise members cannot be fooled. What people should discover is knowledge about the right way of living — be it in good times or bad times — in order to overcome obstacles to a happy life. Specially with all the things a person can do nowadays, we can always simply move on with our lives barely scratched by such problems. For there were worse times in the past.

First of all, peace should be maintained. There will be people who will want war out of despair or anger. Just yesterday, India was disturbed by two dozens of bombs. About 20 people were killed. It has a population of one billion citizens almost all preferring to keep the peace. Like all other societies worldwide, the government cannot satisfy everybody or watch over every member of society or spy over foreigners within its own land. Like all other societies, it has enemies.

What is the difference between a location bombed by enemies, causing death of people, and a location hit by powerful storms or floods or earthquakes killing even more members of society ? One is controllable while the other is uncontrollable ? Both need attention from the authorities. However, death has been a natural phenomenon since man got driven out of Paradise. The government can increase or intensify security measures, get more citizens to be vigilant for the purpose of identifying bad elements of society, and eventually arrest those who wish to harm different parts of the world. Governments should never lower its guard against terrorism. Or it can become a livelihood to kidnap the innocent for the price of a ransom. Terrorism has been a challenge along with the Oil Crisis. Yet our world prefers peace for the good of the majority, for the greater future of the youth, for almost all to reach their hopes and dreams.

Governments should also prepare for natural disasters by educating the public and by initiating whatever changes are necessary to prevent people from being killed by natural disasters. Educating the people to be wiser over the years should be their major task.

These are relatively new challenges of life. Since when did mankind not have similar challenges ? Thus, the second obvious action should be for leaders to face challenges with a sincere desire to overcome and win in the latest challenges. For as long as leaders work in the spirit of justice for all, respect for human rights, service for the general public, and obedience to the constitution that governs the land, the majority of people will be there to cooperate with them, and help solve problems.

Again, attitude matters. If the leaders look at life like it is delicious food in need of a pinch of salt, they should be the first people to be happy. Their attitude should not stop with satisfying themselves. Instead, it should contaminate all the followers so as to give most members of society the wonderful experiences of facing life bravely for a meaningful reason, for a higher cause beyond selfish interest. Going back to a family whose leaders are the parents, we oftentimes notice how parents know how to live for the bright future of their children and not just for their present. If that is actually happening to some families, and leaders are expected to know about it, we can likewise expect them to think and behave as though an entire society is their family. People chose them. And they decided to be among the alternatives of leaders in the land.