Happiness Arises from Doing Good


by Kushil Gunasekera (Founder/ Trustee of the Foundation of Goodness)

The goal of everyone at the end is to be happy and not miserable. Whoever you are and however learned- if you are not happy then what is life? But how does one tread that path? It is not rocket science but a simple formula: avoid unwholesome action and cultivate that which is truly good.

When one is committed to engaging and practicing goodness and kindness in daily life, one begins to experience real happiness. It is a joy that arises from the inner self, especially when work and words are of benefit to oneself and others.

Whatever you are be a good one and whatever you put into the world is what you get back. At the very end you are judged by how well you lived; not by possessions, power, prestige or positions rather in goodness, humility, service and character.

When each day comes to an end one must rejoice by the acts of kindness displayed for the good of others. It is not through poor behaviour that we can be happy and satisfied; rather in performing our duty to the best of our ability at all times no matter how others perform their duty towards us.

The true measure of a person is how he treats someone who can do absolutely no good to him in return.

Demonstrating goodness, coupled with kindness, brings fruitful results not only to others but to our own life. Mysterious occurrences take place when one acts with purity of intentions without any expectations most compassionately particularly in a world full of unkind, selfish, destructive and unwholesome deeds.

How do we make the change? Not by trying to change the world- rather, by trying to change ourselves individually for the better, inculcating superior qualities and practicing them in our daily life as we encounter the many opportunities that arise from the time we wake up until we retire to bed at night. To perfect these high ideals one does not have to attend a university nor attain high levels of academic success, but follow good qualities that enrich humanity.

Kindness is interwoven with goodness and non harm- to one self and to others. This is sure to increase the levels of happiness. Those who are committed to being virtuous and composed in conduct steadily increase in radiance. Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never fires and a touch that never hurts.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

The amount of money in your bank account is not the true measure of your success. If you are honest, fair, tolerant, kindly, charitable to others and well behaved that is real success no matter how small your bank account is.

As a leader, be generous with the community, honourable in your actions, sincere in your words. As for the rest do not be concerned. I have learnt that the most important time is now and the most important person is the one you are with at that moment, while the most important thing to do is to care as much as you can.

We learn a lot of information and gain much knowledge through our schooling and through life. But how much thought do we give to learning how to be kind human beings and how to resolve conflict in a constructive and positive manner. Learning to be kind is extremely crucial and can be more vital than the academic subjects, especially if you grow up to be unkind, resentful or greedy adults. Teach your children these things so that they can grow up to be happy, fulfilled and at peace.

Parents wish for their children to succeed greatly in their chosen careers and make lots of money. However, money is not the cause of lasting happiness- when someone is close to death you don’t hear them say ‘I should have spent more time in the office making more money’. Rather, they regret how they lived their life, not communicating better with other people, not being kinder or not letting others know how much you cared.

If you wish the children to be happy and lead a healthy life do not only teach how to make money but how to live a healthy life full of kindness and goodness being a happy person contributing to the society productively.

It may be worthwhile to reflect on some of the finest qualities that can help you to achieve the elusive joy such as being truthful, grateful, integrity, humility, forgiveness, generosity, patience, non anger, compassion, discipline, niceness, respectful, sharing, unselfishness, non violence, morality, self restraint, helping others and reverence which are all part of a curriculum that one must study for a life well lived.

Nice people are blessed, ever friendly, always smiling, forgive easily, hold no grudges and keep no malice.

I sincerely wish that your aspiration is, to be good and do good, always for happiness to rain on you.

- Kushil Gunasekera, June 2010

2010.07.05