Someone is sad because he didn't get the promotion, while someone else is happy just because he got food to eat. Someone is sad because his father left his brother an extra 100 cr in his will, while someone else is happy because he got the chance to serve his father. In the movie "Life is Beautiful", Guido Orefice is happy just to bring a smile to the face of his son; even just before being executed, the nazi soldiers are not happy even after killing so many. Some feel obliged to smile; others don't, even when they get everything they want in a relationship.
What's the reason? I met Shri Purushottam Agarwal ji at an event on Kabir in Banaras and asked him why, while everybody sees so many profound things every day, like death, very few ask the real questions and begin their spiritual journey; he humbly replied that he has no answer. I, too, have no answer to these questions. However, Buddha answers this question precisely. He said that there are four types of people in this world.
1. People who are stuck in a limited frame, passing through challenges.
2. People stuck in a limited framework, passing through good times.
3. Wise people who have an awareness of the wider framework of life, passing through a tough phase.
4. Wise people who have an awareness of the wider framework of life, passing through an easy phase.
The first category of people will either break down in difficult times and become depressed, or they will build their capacity and, when times change, enjoy their lives, and when the time again changes for worse, they will become sad again. Thus, they will keep fluctuating between happiness and sorrow. The second category of people will either grow arrogant about what they have, feel entitled, or keep setting new ambitions. The third category of people know the limitedness of every frame and therefore will not be perturbed. They will take it in their stride and keep their observation mode on. They will discover many different perspectives in that phase of adversity, and these perspectives will show up in their conversations and writing. The fourth category of people will keep their locus on growth and use the good times to benefit society and everyone around them.
Whether a person confined to a fixed framework of life will break down, feel victimised, jealous, or useless; or work harder; whether he will grow arrogant or entitled; or set new ambitions, it again depends upon his capacity. People who have worked hard in life and developed capacity generally work harder in challenging situations and set new ambitions in good times. People with low capacity will generally tend to play the victim, feel jealous, or break down in challenging times, and grow arrogant or entitled in good times. That's why people with both capacity and wisdom generally don't get stuck. People with less wisdom and less capacity are the worst: they feel entitled or arrogant in good times, and feel victimised, jealous, or resigned in challenging times. People with wisdom and less capacity maintain equanimity and grow steadily in life, while people with good capacity but less wisdom work hard on their ambitions but somehow remain limited and confined to the frame and slowly develop fears and insecurities as they grow older.
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