Is Happiness measured in firecrackers?

As Christmas and the New Year draw closer, humans seem to itch to do the idiotic in the most extravagant ways. December has also become synonymous with barging into neighbourhood peace—through unwanted noise, blaring music, and the compulsive urge to burst the loudest firecrackers available.
In the name of celebration, sensitivity is suspended. Thus, the louder the sound, the greater the presumed joy. Yet one cannot help but wonder: is happiness really measured in decibels?
Beyond the noise lies a quieter, more disturbing reality. Firecrackers poison the air we breathe, leaving behind a haze of smoke and harmful chemicals that aggravate asthma, trigger allergies, and burden the already fragile air quality. Dimapur is no less, with smoke emitted by vehicles and dusty rugged roads , the smoke from firecrackers only adds to the misery. For the elderly, infants, and those with respiratory conditions, this season becomes less a celebration and more an endurance test.
Animals fare even worse. Our Pets tremble, stray animals flee in panic, birds abandon nest; all for a few seconds of human amusement. What’ worse! The streets are left littered with debris that outlasts the so-called joy.
Ironically, a season that speaks of giving, gratitude, and goodwill is reduced to momentary thrills. Money that could be used to help someone is instead burnt, literally, for fleeting excitement. The smoke may clear but what remains behind is the debris and lingering flu triggered by the smoke from fire-crackers.
It is time our Naga Society needs to contemplate on the true essence of Christmas . If happiness dies with the last spark of a firecracker, was it ever happiness at all? Perhaps true celebration lies not in excess, but in sharing the happiness , in choosing meaning over momentary pleasure and peace over noise. Season’s blessings to all!
God bless our land!
Imlisen Jamir,
Concerned citizen.
Naharbari, Dimapur