Life is fun. It's all about good food, a nice home to live in, dining out with friends and family, pleasure trips, and chit-chat with the people we like. Basically, it's all about fun. That seems so nice and simple. But the moment we think about these things, immediately our minds become full of fear and apprehension. Apprehensions about the future. Will we be able to get all these things in the future? Will our children be able to get all these things in the future? Since we need money to get most of these things, we feel like earning and saving money for the future, and we end up in a trap. Some "smart" people have learned the art of living in the present moment. They feel like enjoying themselves whenever all these things are available without thinking of the future. They will not mind even borrowing money to have fun.
Why do people who have had a lot of fun in their lives suffer miserably? If somebody had fun for 40 years of his life, he should be happy for the rest of his life. But that doesn't happen. Why? The more people enjoy their lives, the more miserable they become when situations do not support fun. When they fall ill, their lives become miserable. When they go through a crisis in their relationships, they become pitiable. When they undergo a financial crisis, they are unable to tolerate the same. Because fun and pain are two sides of the same coin. Having fun is just like taking sugar. It spikes energy levels because it's absorbed quickly, and we feel good. As it gets absorbed quickly, it is also consumed quickly. As we consume it, we feel a lack of energy and want it again. The same is the nature of all these enjoyments. They give us instant pleasure, and that pleasure doesn't last long, and we become desperate to get the next dose of the same. That's why we become so fearful and restless, because, like a drug addict, we do not know how to handle the deprivation of the pleasures.
On the other hand, joy makes our lives fulfilling. We take joy in dancing, playing music, reading quality books written by authors who have done deep research on the subject, talking to people who have explored their fields, going out for treks, having discussions on the meaning of life, learning about the cosmos, reading about the human brain, exploring nature, and so on.
How is joy different from fun? While fun is in the domain of the known, joy is in the domain of the unknown. While fun is the play of ego, joy is the call of the soul. Fun will demand watching a movie with popcorn in the best malls, with the comforts of AC, and it will not matter whether the movie takes the mind to hitherto uncharted territories. If any of these elements are missing, we will have a horrible experience rather than having fun. While joy demands breaking free of the boundaries. One will feel joyous when watching a movie in which the director invites one to explore aspects of life one has not yet experienced. When one watches the complex interplay of emotions, or gets to know about the cosmos, or gets to think about the complexities of the cosmos. I recall many such good movies. I enjoyed watching the movie "Schindler's List" because it lets you experience love in its purest form. I enjoyed "Swashank Redemption" because you get to experience freedom in its purest form. I loved watching the movie "Inception" because it helps you unravel the secrets of the brain.
I don't really know how or why someone can spend their entire life pursuing one pleasure after another, while everyone can see they aren't taking us anywhere and just making us more fearful in the end. It is so expensive. The spikes of pleasure we get from fun activities have such a short life. Every time we have fun, we become more desperate to get the next dose. Have we seen anybody happy after the fun trip? The first emotion that comes is "Oh no. Why do I have to go to the office tomorrow?" On the other hand, have we seen any great dancer, musician, singer or scientist tired? He will speak so passionately about what he does. It's because joy always comes from the action we perform, and there is no limit to that action. Hanuman ji can cross the ocean to reach Lanka and the mountains to bring Sanvijani. One passion can keep us engrossed for many lives. Einstein will be happy to unravel the secrets of the cosmos for many more lives. A person who takes joy in exploration will be happy to make efforts till his last breath. That's why we just need to pause and examine what the centre of our lives is. The momentary fun that leaves us more depleted than before, or the joy that makes our lives fulfilling.
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