Shyam passed out from a prestigious engineering college of the country. His passion was to be a full time social worker. But he had to become an engineer out of societal obligations and peer pressure. He did not enjoy the high paying job that he got, having graduated from a top college whenever he saw poor children begging on road, his conscience was shaken. He did not feel contend with life, he was leading.
One day, Shyam decides to quit the job and open an NGO to educate these poor children. Now, whenever Shyam saw smile on the faces of those children. He was able to answer his conscience and hence, started leading a more contend and abundant life.
Morale, Shyam may not have as much money as he had earlier. But he enjoyed doing what what he was doing. This brought him satisfaction. One may have all the resources, lot of money but until he chases his passions, he is not full of life - devoid of that ultimate happiness or pleasure. It is this happiness that gives the sense of abundance to one's life.
Leading Personalities - driven by passions
In Mahabharata stories, Eklavya did not have the luxury of teachings of Dronacharya, yet he was passionate enough to become a top class archer. He enjoyed learning it on his own and became a great archer of his times.
Buddha and Mahavira both left the luxury of life to enjoy their ultimate duty of serving others, relieving others of their pain led more content life which was abundant of happiness, sense of self-actualisation.
In modern times, Babasaheb Ambedkar deprived of many facilities and even basic rights, enjoyed fighting for the cause of downtrodden, marginalised. He in fact made this the goal of his life. He became a passionate figure who relentlessly pursued the goal of his life and gave India a constitution that was based on the notions of equality, justice, liberty and fraternity.
Baba Amte can be another example who served the poor and tribals in forests of Vidharbha despite not having much resources with him.
Resources - Duty - Ultimate Happiness
In India, as the saying goes "Santoshi Sada Sukhi" explains goal of one's life is to reach satisfaction with whatever tangible (materialistic) or intangible (spiritualistic) resources he has. Because one's race for accumulating more will never end. Rather, He should enjoy whatever small or big he has. It is this sense of enjoyment that makes him feel abundant.
In this respect, It is interesting to note that a poor may lead a far more contend life than a rich man. Poor man may have a sense that he remained principled , moral through out his life. He was looking for happiness which he could get from anything that he liked and not just money. Even a rich man may have a happier life if he looks for it. He can draw happiness by earning more money.
Thus, idea here is not money or fulfillment of materialistic desires, but the sense of attainment which can be reached by following passions. If a rich man makes money doing business that he enjoys doing. He will also have an abundant life. Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantics Airlines can be understood in this respect. Bill gates, Mark Zukerberg, Steve Jobs all followed their dreams and became legendary figures in their respective fields.
Tribal or aboriginals of Amazon forest, Siberia, Australia like many others are significant examples. They enjoy their way of life and are hardly worried about their integration into more modern society. They are more satisfied with their level of advancement and in fact oppose forced acculturation. Many complains that nature does not have much left. They need to take a cue from tribal's life. How tribal living in hostile environment of Siberia and Amazon Forest adapted to live in 'Resource Crunch'. They continue to live that way for thousands of years. They are happy because they enjoy the life itself. This can be summarised in the principle that governs their life "People belongs to Land" and Not "Land belongs to People" as the more advanced societies claim.
This is similar to life of a child. Child does not have worries about kind of wealth he has. He enjoys living life. He enjoys playing with others. His life is full of love, play and happiness.
Modern times- A Reverse Phenomena
Though, human by the very nature tries to accumulate more, thinking such tendency will make him happy. This kind of nature has been there since the very evolution. But, It got amplified in recent times with the advent of industrial revolution, capitalism and associated consumerism that breeds the notion of 'conspicuous consumption' and instill the sense of show off in the personality of man.
Now man is hardly concerned with what he does. His goal is to maximise his wealth that he thinks will give him the maximum happiness. Once, he advances in his age, starts feeling that somewhere life was incomplete. But by the time, this sense develops, he has already gone through a less contend life. A scholar in this respect expressed,
Many people buy things that they do not like, to show people that they do not know, with the money that they have not earned.
This endless chase of 'more and more' instead of more self actualising life has caused lot of societal problems in the man's life itself. Crime is on a steep trajectory up the slope. All this can subside, world can become a better place to live in, if all follows the Shyam's way of quitting the discouraging life and moving on to the life that he wanted for himself - contend, happy and abundant.
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