'World and joy of its guilty pleasures', today's HT editorial..

What tops your guilty pleasures?

Did I hear, Dollops of chocolates and banana splits treasures?!

A scrumptious Sunday brunch, on the lake side with your favorite band playing live. Mud-puffed shoes,  strained calves, moonlit sky and a simmering barbeque. Car boot swollen with (almost unnecessary) shopping bags, bagel in one hand, and the other pumping engine. Your old tattered jeans, comfy loafers, cup of ginger-tea and ruffling of book pages. Festivities around, delicacies surround, autumn trees and the dollops of cheese. 

Who wouldn’t long for all of these? Apparently, most among us would! 

Who wouldn’t want to add their own list of preferences and choices to this? Undoubtedly, all of us would. 

Finding pleasures and happiness in small things is appreciable. One should find ways to be grateful and thankful towards nature and our surroundings for bestowing countless bounties on us. Yet, we think finding happiness is an easy task in life, right? If this is the case, then why do we keep looking for it wherever we go? Why is happiness not as absolute as the cosmic laws or the cardinal rules? Quite often than not, it can be quite startling to see people grappling to find their ultimate solace, comfort and calm in things, situations, places, circumstances, feelings, material possessions of all shapes and sizes. Alas!

This never-ending battle or rather a cycle of craving-fulfilling-craving again to satisfy our sensual pleasures never seems to get over. The infinitesimal existence of our being revolves around them inevitably. This race to gratify either or all of them is rotational. We yearn for good food, long for a pleasurable caress by our loved ones, crave to hear something soulful, desire to soak-in the aroma and itch for breathtaking sights, all in one and one in all. Pleasures and their gratification mark our boundaries and course of life.

Much before a child is brought into the world; he is institutionalized into indulgence of various pleasures; warmth of the mother’s womb, melody of a lullaby, father stroking the swollen belly, all encapsulate him even before he realizes their potential. Once born, the society and the family, introduces him to these pleasures again and thus he too conforms to the societal standards.

Though contradictory, but what’s wrong in indulging oneself into such pleasures, being human? What fun would it be to live a plain life despite of having means and ways to satisfy such fancies? 

Well, nothing much. We already are guided by them, knowingly or unknowingly. The real quest is to find a way out of this rut; to seek happiness in something that doesn’t come with a snooze, needs a refill or an update or recharge. The pleasure is in finding the supreme. Wanderings of the human life are destined to foresee, find and seek liberty from the crutches of the pleasures and find solace in divinity.