by Jayram Daya

Moments that touch my senses create memories that shape how I see myself. I had this experience rather intensely while watching the recent Olympics, where my role as an observer taught me a lot about human emotions.

I noticed how my feelings would change based on whether I was cheering for the winners or feeling sorry for the losers. When someone I liked won, I felt pure joy, with no thought of those who lost. But when my favourite person lost, I felt disappointment and even resentment towards the winner.

This made me realize how our emotions are tied to personal preferences and connections. It also showed me that by thinking about and understanding our feelings, we can better manage them, seeing the human side in all our experiences.

Exploring ‘Me and Myself’ also helped me understand why people seek happiness and excitement. Here are some of my observations:

1. Social bonding: People love to share joy and excitement with others.
2. Pleasure and excitement: Competitions generate excitement and a sense of reward for spectators.
3. Emotional investment: Defined as the degree to which we get deeply involved emotionally, either happy or disappointed, depending on the outcome.
4. Engaging the senses: Live events stimulate our senses, making the experience more real.
5. Escape from routine: Forays which  provide momentary breaks from the routine and the stress of daily life.
6. Belonging: Fans feel connected to a group or team, creating a sense of belonging.
7. Suspense and anticipation: We stay engaged because we cannot predict the outcome.
8. Shared joy or sorrow: Winning or losing brings people together, strengthening bonds.

Interestingly, people sometimes even prepare for losing, for the following reasons:

1. Emotional strength: Fans learn to cope with disappointment.
2. Hope: Even when the outlook is gloomy, fans remain hopeful.
3. Loyalty: True fans stick with their team, win or lose.

All these elements combine to make live sports events a part of our culture and entertainment.

What is happiness?

Everyday experience suggests that happiness is a state of mind born from sensory moments. It can be brief and powerful, but it is often tied to the moment. As I narrated above, this became clear to me as I watched the Olympics. My emotions were a reflection of my connections, my likes, and my sense of patriotism.

This got me thinking about why we are so happy when things are our way, and why happiness often does not involve any compassion for others. I realized that our emotions are tied to our desires. When our hopes are fulfilled, we feel joy, but when they are not, disappointment can cloud our ability to appreciate others’ success.

I learned that true happiness might not come from winning, but from appreciating the effort and the spirit behind both victory and defeat. Happiness, in its purest form, is about understanding and accepting both victory and defeat.

Winning and losing

Through my study of ‘Me and Myself’,  which reflects the connection between my inner self and outer persona, I noticed how emotions are expressed physically and emotionally in moments of victory and defeat.

When someone wins, they often run towards their loved ones and hug them tight, joy evident in their laughter and tears. But when someone loses, the pain can be overwhelming, leading to tears, frustration, and a desire to be alone.

These experiences illustrate that all five senses — sight, sound, touch, taste and smell — play a role in expressing happiness or sadness. The body also responds in other ways, relieving stress through bodily gestures that express our feelings.

This understanding highlights the deep connection between our bodies and minds in these intense moments. It also raises the question of whether we can discipline our senses to manage these expressions better.

What does ‘Me and Myself’ mean?

‘Me and Myself’ represents the connection between my inner self and outer persona, embracing my uniqueness and solitude. Spiritually, I see ‘Me’ as consciousness, and ‘Myself’ as the one who interacts with the five senses.

The mind, as ‘the sense within’, processes and integrates information from the five senses, enabling thought and consciousness. Happiness is therefore a state of mind born from sensory moments, integrating information from the five senses and the mind — ‘the sense within’ — processing and interpreting sensory data.

Ananda

Further reflection activated a realization that mastering the senses, as emphasized in ancient Indian tradition, can lead to a stable mind. Sat-chit-ananda is a Sanskrit term that describes the true nature of reality as existence, consciousness, and bliss. It refers to the ultimate, unchanging reality known as Brahman. Sat means existence; chit means consciousness, and ananda means bliss, the absence of suffering.

Unlike momentary happiness tied to external objects, ananda is a profound, inner bliss, which is not dependent on the material world, but is a spiritual joy experienced deep within.