By: Lalit Garg
The first Friday of every October i.e. 6th October this year is World Smile Day. The idea of World Smile Day is proposed by Harvey Ball, an American commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts. The iconic smiley face was created by him in 1963. Since then, it has captured everyone’s attention to celebrate joy. The first Smile Day in 1999 was celebrated with enthusiasm and pomp without any hindrance, because a smile is an expression which contains solutions to many problems and troubles. In 2001, after Harvey passed away, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was established as a tribute to the ‘smiley’ creator.
According to Harvey Ball, the Massachusetts artist who founded this day, we should all dedicate one day every year to smiling and being kind to the whole world. Because the smiling face does not know any political, geographical or religious things. Instead of smiling just today, make it a habit to smile every day. This will not only ease your problems but your loved ones will also be happy to see you.
Smiling is essential for good health, mental peace and overall development. Today’s life is full of stress, unrest, worries and problems; there is a strong need for a smile. Because laughing and smiling is very helpful in everyone’s physical, mental, emotional and intellectual development.
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Smiling is the key to success in our life; it is also the solution to many problems. Smile is a balm that heals the wounds of a sad heart. There is exercise for our face and rest for our mind. Research says that as we grow older, we smile less. We have become old because we have stopped smiling. Mother Teresa said, peace begins with a smile. Your happiness starts from your lips. This year on World Smile Day, don’t forget to curl your lips a little. It will be contagious and create a positive environment around you.
One mantra of health is to smile openly. We should smile and keep smiling no matter what happens is the mantra of a successful and meaningful life. But sometimes the whole day passes without a smile. There are clouds of sadness and restlessness, the sunshine of smiles cannot bloom.
Smiling and laughing is such a positive emotion which makes not only the internal but also the external appearance of a person prosperous and effective. Smile is a powerful emotion which has the ability to energize a person and make the world peaceful. It affects the electro-magnetic field of the person and transmits positive energy to the person. When a person smiles in a group, his smile spreads positive energy in the entire environment.
In today’s stressful environment, people are forgetting their smile and laughter, resulting in inviting stress-related diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, migraine, hysteria, madness, depression etc. Smiling increases energy and oxygen circulation. Smiling openly strengthens the components of the body. It also increases the speed of blood circulation in the body. Apart from this the digestive system functions more efficiently. That is why doctors also say that smiling is useful for patients suffering from every disease. Because by saying loudly and smiling, every part of the body gets movement. Due to this, the hormone producing system (endorphin gland) present in the body starts functioning smoothly, which is helpful in getting rid of many diseases.
The people who make us smile through their words, actions and thoughts remain etched in our memories. We may like or dislike someone for many reasons. But in the long run, the people who deserve our love are those who make us laugh and bring a smile to our faces. Perhaps that is why Victor Borg says, ‘Laughter is the shortest bridge to cross the distance between two people.’ Laughing and smiling is such a precious gift, which nature has bestowed only on humans. Humor and smile are a universal language. It has the ability to integrate humanity irrespective of caste, religion, colour, gender. This is an initiative to connect man to man. Smiles and laughter are capable of creating a new world by connecting different communities. This idea may seem imaginary, but people have a deep belief that only laughter and smiles can unite the world.
Both happiness and sorrow are two sides of a coin. If a person remains cheerful in both situations, his mind always remains under control and he can stay away from worries. Smiling brightens the soul. With this you not only get pleasure but also make others happy. Humour and smile is the enemy of pain, a sure cure for despair and anxiety and a panacea for sorrows. Laughing and smiling brings enthusiasm to the body and mind and smiling from the heart is no less than a medicine. Smile works as a great tonic. Prominent scholars and thinkers like Thackeray and Shakespeare have also confirmed that a happy person lives longer. There is a scale to measure the satisfaction of human soul, physical health and stability of intellect and that is the happiness on the face. Professor Sophie Scott of the University of London says, “Through laughter, our subconscious mind signals that we are relaxed and feeling safe.”
Hotei was a disciple of Lord Buddha in Japan. He was a beggar of very humble nature. He believed in living life in a very detached and neutral manner. Whatever work he was doing, he would become completely immersed in it. There is a belief in Japan that once Hotei became so enthralled while meditating that he started laughing and smiling loudly while meditating. Only after this amazing incident, people started addressing him by the name of Laughing Buddha. Traveling, exploring the country, giving smiles and happiness to people became the aim of the Laughing Buddha. Laughing Buddha is also known as Putai in China. Chinese people see him from the perspective of a beggar who, with a bag of money and grains in one hand, shows his big belly and slim body with a cheerful face and gives positive energy to everyone while smiling. He is also considered a messenger of prosperity and happiness and a symbol of removal of Vaastu defects in homes. In countries like Japan, people teach their children to laugh and smile right from the beginning, so that their future generation is capable and bright.
Most of the countries of the world are afraid of terrorism; there is a chaos of panic and unrest inside every person. In such times, only a smile can spread positive energy across the world. Harvard University professor Teresa Amabile has said that our brain is most creative when we laugh. We should promote laughter and smiling not only in the family environment but also in the office. The office environment should be one of harmony and laughter, so that enthusiasm for work can be spread among the team. Smiling can prove effective for a beautiful face. Smiling increases the body’s immunity, which increases a person’s self-confidence. Medical experiments have found that smiling for 10 minutes results in two hours of deep sleep.
People who smile become many friends and in this way the feeling of brotherhood and unity arises in them, we never realize when. Every human being is troubled by fear, insecurity and terrorism, and then the great need of ‘Smile Day’ is felt. Never before has this much unrest been seen in this world. In this busy, turbulent and stressful life, people should take out at least one day for them and smile with full heart. (The author is a journalist, columnist who can be reached at lalitgarg11@gmail.com)
