"Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream:"(Julius Caeser, Act II, Scene 1)

Knowing that something horrible is going to happen, that is going to shatter one's peace, emotions and stir in them the greatest of fears, anxieties, propel them to the heights of depression is surely what Brutus meant when he stated those lines.
For those of us who are not likely to assist in great assassinations or change fortunes of states, our personal situations however are the greatest events in the drama that is life.
The well being of our kith and kin, people with whom we have shared the best moments, both eventful and innane is what determines our happiness or otherwise.
Knowing and anticipating very adverse circumstances can mark the darkest days of one's life.

For anticipation carries with it fears of the unknown, a faint (very very faint) hope that things could turn round too, in short, an uncertainty that can be punishing by its very force.

The realisation of an event could perhaps lead to greater despair, no doubt, but lifts the clouds of unsure, thus forcing one to move forward (albeit in great sorrow) and do something. That itself could be a great palliative.

Pondichery. A drizzly morning in, hold your breath, May. The Sharada Temple. The occasion? The Jayanthi (birth anniversary) of Saint Thyagaraja, one of the greatest composers in Carnatic music. It is 8.30 and a set of musicians gets ready to sing the Pancharatna kritis - his five gems. There is hustle and bustle all over the place. Regular visitors to the temple make their salutations. The tambura drones on in the C pitch- its haunting resonance more mesmerising than any incantation. It seems that our heart beats to the same frequency as the unified notes that emanate from it. Children also form part of the Pancharatna rendering. Neatly dressed in 'pavadai', the traditional attire of South India, hair neatly braided, shining with all the ornaments they have in their store, they also have a copy of the notations of these exacting songs.
The picture of Saint Thyagaraja, next to that of Lord Ganesha is fully decorated with flowers. The artistes sitting facing him feel his presence there and then. To their right, behind these pictures, is the sanctum sanctorum of Sharada Devi.. So the singers have an interrupted view of divinity. One of the organisers, the noted mridangist Neyveli Skandasubramananian chants the Purusha Suktham over the microphone. His sharp voice, clear enunciation in the backdrop of the tambura drone create sharp vibrations that permeate into our very being. Outside, at the 'sannidhi' of Lord Hanuman, bells are ringing .
The combined melodies of bells, tambura, mantras in the presence of the deities make for an experience that cannot be described.
Suffice to say that for the space of a few moments at least, we were transported to a world beyond all mundane thoughts or desires. For a short while, we identified ourselves with the divine. It was Sat Chit Ananda unadulterated.
This is our land, where such sublime experiences are part and parcel of daily life. Can this ever, ever be replaced by the material comforts of a foreign land?

What are we in search of really? Wealth? Fame? Love? Power?
Well, all of these, surely. But finally, we hunt for all these in the hope that they will give us that elusive entity called happiness. Which takes us to the question: What is happiness? I don't know what the dictionaries say, but I would describe it as something that makes us feel good inside. To put it in a nutshell, we are in an eternal quest for internal fulfillment. When we say we like someone, it means that that person has made us feel good about ourselves. The reverse is true. I remember reading the following quotation that went somewhat like this- " It's easy to be nice when others are nice. But to be nice when someone is not, is REALLY nice!'
Niceness takes the form of helping others, of course, and saying kind words. But beyond all this, niceness is, I feel, recognising that the other man is also a fellow human is as such, is entitled to be treated with respect.Whatever be his station in life. You can get angry and still be nice, provided you attack the issue and not the person. I have often found that superiors who are nice get more work done by the simple tactic of whole heartedly praising every effort of their subordinates. 'I can live a whole day on a compliment' went a title in an old issue of the Readers' Digest. When we are praised, we feel good about ourselves. That naturally prompts us to attempt further work in the hope of more appreciation.
So let us all think about being nice even when forced to be critical or reactive. Let words like empathy, consideration and humaneness come into our vocabulary and ... into our lives.