In the United States of America’s deceleration of independence it says…
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among those are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”
This maxim… written on July 4th 1776… has become a cornerstone not just for America… but for the way our entire planet lives life in this modern era…
And, while I honour the forefathers of Americas independence, and appreciate the many great contributions they made to the world… I believe that in phrasing this declaration the way that they did… these men perpetuated one of the most terrible lies ever told… a lie that has crippled humanity and created a narrative for life that no longer serves us…
The lie is that happiness needs to be pursued.
To pursue suggests that happiness is something that we have to continuously struggle to reach or attain.
And this myth has actually governed our whole lives.
In school. In college. Even in the work we do. We are always constantly fighting. Seeking. Hoping that whatever we do will take us closer to this elusive end goal of being happy.
And what has following this myth actually done? It has made us miserable.
No matter how much money we get. No matter how big our house is. No matter how many cars we have or how luxurious they are. No matter how much sex we have or how often we cum. No matter how many people follow us or like our posts. It’s just never enough. There’s always more.
Sure… these achievements give us fleeting hits of dopamine. They give us a whiff or a taste of happiness. But no lasting satisfaction. No deep peace. And no joy.
When the smell of the new car wears off or a tap in the new house stops working or the orgasm comes to an end. We are always left feeling empty and confused. Unclear as to why our pursuit of happiness didn’t actually result in sustained experience of what we were seeking in the first place.
And so what do we do then… what is the whole world actually doing… we’re not really living… we’re just escaping.
Escaping through drugs. Through alcohol. Through hours spent behind screens numbing our minds with entertainment and amusement between our never ending struggle and pursuit of happiness.
It’s time for us to stop perpetuating this lie. It’s time, once and for all, to abolish this myth that happiness can come through pursuit. It never has. And it never will.
So now… some 240 years after that declaration was published. Today… on July 24th 2023… I am putting forth a new declaration…
The Joy of Being…
Our declaration is simple…
our most important JOB… j…o…B…
Is to FEEL the Joy of Being…
The lie that we were told is that we have to pursue happiness… to hunt for it outside ourselves. The truth, however, is that it has always been with us… and the only place to experience it is within… and the only time to do so is now… feel the joy of being…
This truth flips the entire narrative of life on its head.
Because now… instead of chasing happiness as an end goal… we are declaring that the STARTING point of life is joy itself… we just need to remember that… to feel it… to keep realigning and reconnecting with our inner joy… our inner wholeness…
Now… instead of living life in a fragmented and myopic way… instead of always feeling like we have to chase and gain and take from life… with aggression, with competition, with haste, with hate… we are now living with ease… with poise… with love… with style… with Grace…
As my Father says… now we are living with unalloyed joy… and unshakeable peace…
Now instead of trying to take from life… our only aim is to give back to life… to share our gifts and our talents in a way that serves and beautifies the world…
Our entire objective with Devang is just this… to build a community anchored in joy… whether it’s the food or drinks that we serve… the music that we play in our spaces… the events that we host or even the products that we sell… everything is being created out of joy… and with the singular intention that these offerings may evoke the same sense of wholeness and joy in others…
We are not here to escape life. We are here to experience it as deeply, dynamically and richly as possible.
Just to be alive on this earth together. Flying through the universe. The stars together. Just to be able to breathe. To see colours. To hear sounds. To taste flavours. To smell fragrances. To touch textures. just to be able To walk. To stand. To sit. To sing. To love.
This entire adventure… the conception and design of our very existence is incomprehensible.
And yet here we are… all of us… in this Leela… this cosmic dance and play together…
Let’s live with simplicity, with beauty, and in harmony with our Mother, Nature.
And always remember…
Our most important job…
Is to Feel the Joy of Being…