We often fall into a dangerous trap: thinking life is split into two neat groups—those who struggle and those who don’t. Scroll through social media and it’s easy to believe some people are just lucky, living perfect, pain-free lives. But behind every smiling photo, there might be heartbreak, illness, loneliness, or quiet battles no one sees.
We forget something important: happiness isn’t a trait you’re born with. It’s a choice. And it’s not always an easy one.
The film Life is Beautiful shows this beautifully. Even in a concentration camp, a father chooses to protect his child with joy and imagination. He turns horror into a game—not because it’s easy, but because it’s the only way to survive with hope. It reminds us: happiness isn’t about what’s happening around us. It’s about how we respond to it.
Gandhi and Happniess:
Once, a young man came to Gandhi, frustrated by the injustice of the world. “Bapu,” he asked, “how can I be at peace when there is so much suffering all around me?”
Gandhi didn’t give a lecture. Instead, he smiled and said, “Happiness is not what the world gives you—it’s what you give to the world, despite what it takes from you.”
That spirit—of inner control, of choosing one’s response—was the core of both his politics and his philosophy. He fasted when others fought. He forgave when others sought revenge. He spun his charkha not just to clothe himself, but to quiet the noise of a turbulent world. Each act was a choice: a small, defiant step toward peace.
Buddha and Happiness:
Centuries before him, the Buddha walked a similar path. Born into a palace of luxury, he had everything—comfort, power, privilege. Yet he was restless. The turning point came when he stepped outside and saw, for the first time, an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a wandering monk. In that moment, he understood: suffering is universal.
But the Buddha didn’t stop at suffering. He offered a path beyond it. The Eightfold Path isn’t a magic cure; it’s a way of being—right thought, right speech, right action. A way to meet pain not with resistance, but with awareness. With compassion. With stillness.
Both Gandhi and the Buddha showed us that joy doesn’t come when the world is finally free of sorrow. It comes when we stop waiting for perfection and choose presence instead. When we stop clinging to control, and start embracing truth. When we meet darkness, not with despair, but with a lamp—however small, however flickering.
This isn’t easy. It’s not neat or instant. But it is powerful.
Because the truth is: there are no truly “happy” people. Only people who practice happiness. Who choose it—bravely, imperfectly—again and again, even in chaos. Who learn to breathe deeply even when the world is on fire. Who, like Gandhi, spin their grief into gentle action. Who, like the Buddha, sit quietly beneath the tree of life until the storm passes.
We all carry suffering. But we also carry the ability to choose what we do with it. And in that choice—day after day—lies our quiet, extraordinary freedom.
There are no “happy people.” Only people who choose happiness, even for a moment, even in the middle of the storm. That choice is messy, imperfect, but it’s ours. And sometimes, that makes all the difference.
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[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]2021 WEF Global Gender Gap report, which confirmed its 2016 finding of a decline in worldwide progress towards gender parity.
Over 2.8 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. As many as 104 countries still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59 countries have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and it is astonishing that a handful of countries still allow husbands to legally stop their wives from working.
Globally, women’s participation in the labour force is estimated at 63% (as against 94% of men who participate), but India’s is at a dismal 25% or so currently. Most women are in informal and vulnerable employment—domestic help, agriculture, etc—and are always paid less than men.
Recent reports from Assam suggest that women workers in plantations are paid much less than men and never promoted to supervisory roles. The gender wage gap is about 24% globally, and women have lost far more jobs than men during lockdowns.
The problem of gender disparity is compounded by hurdles put up by governments, society and businesses: unequal access to social security schemes, banking services, education, digital services and so on, even as a glass ceiling has kept leadership roles out of women’s reach.
Yes, many governments and businesses had been working on parity before the pandemic struck. But the global gender gap, defined by differences reflected in the social, political, intellectual, cultural and economic attainments or attitudes of men and women, will not narrow in the near future without all major stakeholders working together on a clear agenda—that of economic growth by inclusion.
The WEF report estimates 135 years to close the gap at our current rate of progress based on four pillars: educational attainment, health, economic participation and political empowerment.
India has slipped from rank 112 to 140 in a single year, confirming how hard women were hit by the pandemic. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two Asian countries that fared worse.
Here are a few things we must do:
One, frame policies for equal-opportunity employment. Use technology and artificial intelligence to eliminate biases of gender, caste, etc, and select candidates at all levels on merit. Numerous surveys indicate that women in general have a better chance of landing jobs if their gender is not known to recruiters.
Two, foster a culture of gender sensitivity. Take a review of current policies and move from gender-neutral to gender-sensitive. Encourage and insist on diversity and inclusion at all levels, and promote more women internally to leadership roles. Demolish silos to let women grab potential opportunities in hitherto male-dominant roles. Work-from-home has taught us how efficiently women can manage flex-timings and productivity.
Three, deploy corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the education and skilling of women and girls at the bottom of the pyramid. CSR allocations to toilet building, the PM-Cares fund and firms’ own trusts could be re-channelled for this.
Four, get more women into research and development (R&D) roles. A study of over 4,000 companies found that more women in R&D jobs resulted in radical innovation. It appears women score far higher than men in championing change. If you seek growth from affordable products and services for low-income groups, women often have the best ideas.
Five, break barriers to allow progress. Cultural and structural issues must be fixed. Unconscious biases and discrimination are rampant even in highly-esteemed organizations. Establish fair and transparent human resource policies.
Six, get involved in local communities to engage them. As Michael Porter said, it is not possible for businesses to sustain long-term shareholder value without ensuring the welfare of the communities they exist in. It is in the best interest of enterprises to engage with local communities to understand and work towards lowering cultural and other barriers in society. It will also help connect with potential customers, employees and special interest groups driving the gender-equity agenda and achieve better diversity.