The vast illusion of perfect bliss

There appears to be no end to our pursuit of pleasure, despite the fact that we live in a horribly violent world marked by never-ending conflict, militarism, new authoritarianism, increased economic disparity, the climatic disaster, and many types of social neurosis. Furthermore, even a very subjective and qualitative feeling like happiness can now be evaluated and quantified since we value mathematical accuracy so highly.

Annually, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network assigns rankings and hierarchies to various nations based on what it considers to be a quantifiable “happiness index” that includes things like GDP, life expectancy, freedom, social support, and even selfless behavior. According to the World Happiness Report 2024, India came in at position 126 out of 143 countries, while Finland is still the “happiest country.”

I mean, I don’t completely discount the value of this sort of information. Of course, a fair amount of financial stability, government social assistance programs, improved healthcare, job satisfaction, a vibrant civil society, and political freedom all contribute to a certain level of pleasure in daily life.

But it’s also critical to understand that there can never be complete happiness because even our greatest moments of joy and contentment are always tinged with worry, such as the fear of losing our possessions, our physical health, or the company of our loved ones. We want perfect bliss, but we can never find it. It makes sense that there are so many life coaches, motivational speakers, and spiritual gurus in our day and age, all of them constantly tell us to adhere to a set of “techniques” — mindfulness, breathing exercises, meditation, etc. — in order to be “happy” and “successful.”

However, one must also acknowledge that happiness is not a quick fix that can be obtained via self-help books or through exclusive retreats at certain ashrams and monasteries. In truth, we must create a bridge between the political and spiritual spheres if we are to make any progress toward a society that is at least somewhat peaceful and satisfied. Consider the ridiculousness of trying to teach someone suffering from starvation, malnourishment, and homelessness the concept of “mindfulness,” which is defined as the capacity to live in the present moment without being fixated on the pain of the past or the fear of the future.

Or consider the psychological harm you would do to a young guy who is jobless and keeps being turned down for jobs if you asked him to read a best-selling self-help book like I’m OK—You’re OK and feel happy and optimistic. It is like trying to impart “minimalism” teachings to someone who lives in a slum or is homeless. Without making changes to the political and economic underpinnings of a highly asymmetrical, unfair, and exploitative society, we cannot get towards an acceptable level of satisfaction. No, in light of the normalization of genocide, Palestinians cannot be content.

Similarly, if 83% of unemployed Indians are young, as reported by the India Employment Report 2024, or if the richest 1% of Indians control 40% of the country’s wealth, as revealed by a research paper titled “The Rise of Billionaire Raj,” it is easy to imagine the level of suffering, anguish, fear, and stress that the average Indian goes through.

The brutal truth is that our country is miserable, despite the fact that there are thousands of babas, gurus, and self-help instructors giving us various types of salvation pills. It’s possible that we won’t be able to establish a social environment that supports the development of relatively happy people until we undergo a political and economic restructuring of our society.

This is not to say that I am downplaying the importance of reflection or the need of inner peace in order to have a purposeful, sustainable, and compassionate life. Our daily lives are made relatively pleasant by a tolerable degree of political and economic freedom, but without what I would consider to be life’s religion, we cannot progress toward a more meaningful and peaceful existence—one that is not necessarily completely “happy.” For example, this spirituality emphasizes practicing the skill of living a non-consumptionist lifestyle.

The infectious disease of irrepressible greed, which a market-driven society has normalized, must be separated from the basic requirements of non-alienated labor, food, housing, life-affirming education, and political freedom.

Yes, a culture that exalts the idea of mindless consumerism and the avarice for the plethora of new goods and fashions that the neoliberal market perpetually creates is not conducive to pleasure. This hunger disturbs peace and tranquility; instead, it gives rise to unrest, jealousy, and a persistent dread of falling behind.

The skill of creating a relational self, or the self that finds great satisfaction in seemingly little actions like visiting a friend without any ulterior reason or hiking a mountainside and seeing glimpses of the infinite, must also be practiced. This technique of being “ordinary” but nonetheless creatively abundant helps us break away from the neurotic restlessness that comes with chasing a mythical “success” or the illusion of a “perfect and happy living” that the alluring “culture industry” constantly tricks us into believing.

Being religious is having the guts to acknowledge the sadness that is a part of life; it’s like realizing that we can’t control everything. Everything we attempt to grasp onto is ephemeral and fleeting. Tragedies and mysterious mishaps have the power to abruptly end our lives, and nobody can avoid death, which is the last deflating of our bloated egos into nothing. It’s possible that this realization helps us to live our earthly life with holy tears rather than making us bitter.