These days, winter is in the air in New Delhi. As the pollution has come down somewhat post Diwali one can be out on the balcony.  The Champa trees around our building are blooming interspersed with the exotic pink Floss Silk flower. I stand there in the fading light trying to see if the whiff of the saptaparni blossom has begun. Birds are flying home, interspersed with airplanes, and some children are cackling and giggling in the distance. For a while, everything else fades away and it is simply bliss.

As I stand there soaking in the departing day, tranquil yet lively, I wonder if this sense of contentment was something I could grasp in my hand and hold. After a long while I had thought of the word ‘contentment’, and it troubled me a little. How had it disappeared from my lexicon? Was contentment not the basis for a happy and successful life?

Today, sixties are touted as the new forties. Is it because of this that I often feel that life is passing by at breakneck speed. There is still so much to do, achieve, and live. The quest for ‘more’ doesn’t seem to disappear. There is a deep seated desire to travel, write, create memories, explore life…. Is this discontent, or is it aspiration towards one’s own potential?

This quest for ‘more’ is amplified many times over in younger people. The angst is expressed in many ways, coupled with a desire for instant gratification, it throws up myriad challenges. Job satisfaction, the perfect partner, getting rich, garnering likes and followers – the chase is merciless. Why was being content not a part of the narrative or something to aspire for anymore?

The pursuit of happiness, success, living the life you want, chasing your dreams – nearly all the aspirational ideas that are propagated these days are about movement, seeking something, reaching out or working for. There is always something better out there that is to be tried for. In work, jobs, relationships and dreams. Being content with what there is often gets categorized as complacency.

Is contentment a vanishing virtue, more of a theological or philosophical issue, than a pragmatic one? In our post-truth and online fueled world if you type ‘contentment’ more religious sites crop up than scholarly or self-help ones. Mantras for success and happiness abound, with books, courses and discourses on the topic. Why is living the ‘contented life’ not as important as the ‘successful’ or ‘happy’ one? Being satisfied with what exists seems to no more of value.

Being content with things brings peace and calm, as it is about acceptance. While working towards what one thinks is our potential is being not complacent, leading to contentment. There seems to be a circular flow, rather than opposing themes.

Today when disruption is the model, fake news changes outcomes, and the real and virtual are increasingly merging; seeking contentment seems to have fallen by the way side. It needs to be brought back into the reckoning. Much like a positive outlook, determination or cheer – being content is also an attitude. An essential one to stay grounded and grow in this rapidly evolving world.

Published in Lokmat Times in October 2025