HAPPINESS, UNHAPPINESS............Hmmm..

Are senile and garrulous people happy or unhappy? Are they in search of anything or are they missing something? What is the idea behind trying to make them happy? Do they understand or even realize the efforts of others in trying to ease their miserable state? I have no idea how psychology works but it's disheartening to believe that it's not after happiness that the world runs.After all, there are many philosophies which tell us the worth or the necessity to be happy and to create a centre of happiness within us.But, when I met my aged garrulous grandmother's brother, there was not one philosophy which could put his plight into perspective.We, his grand nieces and nephews were in tears as were his own children. He rarely knew what was being told to him. He continued relentlessly about a deceased child followed by the proud moments of his life. He was reliving it in his own mind and continued to do so repeatedly. Sometimes he would pause in between to find out if he was being heard, and if he discovered that he wasn't, he would raise a tantrum until somebody asked him a question answering to which he loved.Being an astute accountant and a learned philosopher his condition presented everybody with a greater challenge of dealing with him while in this state of senility.Nevertheless, it was heartening to discover the scholar who had amassed so much knowledge in his life that he could reel of passages learned by heart and provide arguments in support or against his pet theories.And all this, while he had no memory of who he was speaking to or what was the relevance of the talks. These episodes of learned garrulous monologues were quite frequent and could pass off as a great lecture from an avid student of philosophy. His children knew him to be happy or unhappy during these episodes.When we were introduced, he was in the midst of a tantrum over a cup of tea.He was offended that his son refused to sweeten his tea with one more spoonful of sugar. When one of his nieces added another spoonful of sugar to his tea he was calmed down and she asked him if he was happy. For the first time in days (as told by his children) he had become quiet for some time which had seemed to them like a long break of silence! I remember seeing him slouched on his bed and saying happiness, unhappiness.......hmmm.

P.S: The niece who had added the sugar had been his favorite niece, I was to learn later on. For once it was his silence that intrigued me!