A few days back, I read
a report on World’s happiest nations. For quite long I was of the opinion that
happiness was a state of mind and its meaning differed from person to person.
Isn’t every human unique after all? There cannot be a perfect definition of happiness. Flabbergasted
by the term ‘happy nations’, my curiosity to find out more about these nations
piqued.
In the World Happiness
Report published by United Nations, India stood on the 118th rank. I
was not surprised to find India as one of the nations at the bottom of the
list. Astonishingly countries which are economically and socially weaker than
India fared better in ranks of happiness! People in world’s happiest nations
have longer life expectancies, have more social support, have more freedom to make
life choices, have lower perceptions of corruption, experience more generosity,
experience less inequality of happiness and have a higher per capita income.
Recently I read an
article in German, which talked about the Zeitbank
or Time bank concept in Finland. The title of the article ‘Helping by
gifting Time’ was catchy enough for me to read it with greater interest. Before
I began reading the article, I thought of checking Finland’s rank in the list
of happy nations. The nation which could conceive such a unique and beautiful
concept ought to be among the top happy nations. And my guess was correct. Finland
is the fifth happiest nation in the world, after Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. In Finland, people gift time to
others; meaning, people take out some time from their routines in order to do
something good for the society.
It had various
examples: a man who is an editor by profession frequently visits an old age
home and reads out news from the newspaper to a blind old man. This is
something which refreshes his mood, he says. The old man, too looks forward to
meet this young man and discuss the news around the world.
When people voluntarily
come forward to help others, the society in return helps such people. These
volunteers can go to the time bank and get the hours of their service credited.
The time bank provides help to the volunteers when they are in need. “The help
which we provide is not a substitute for professional help”, say the founders
of time bank. Yet it is a beautiful way to develop a bond with people,
providing psychological support when someone, for example is divorced and needs
someone to go for a walk with or go shopping. At the end of the article I was
completely awestruck and full of admiration for the Finns. When I related this
article to the factors that determined a happy nation, I realized that Finland
had scored full marks in all those aspects.
The thoughts in my mind
about a happy nation then moved to the perspective of happiness in India. Talking
about life expectancy, one of the factors for happiness, it is 68 years for
Indians, which I believe is low considering the strides in medicine India is
experiencing. However, considering the purchasing power of some, these advanced
medical facilities may not be affordable for all. Great personalities like Dr.
G. Venkataswamy, founder of Aravind Eye Hospital, have facilitated high quality
eye treatment and cataract surgeries free of cost for people belonging to
economically weaker sections. Laudable efforts by the Government and doctors
like G.Venkataswamy are attempts to improve the life expectancy in India. Having
said that, being physically fit is not enough to be happy. Mental happiness too
is of a paramount importance.
The other determinants
of happiness have a role to play in developing happy minds. Take for example
the factor ‘freedom to make life choices’. Often around me I have seen people
who are unhappy with their jobs. That is because their passion lies elsewhere
and yet they end up doing some humdrum job. The background story before getting
a job, i.e. of education is the same: to survive in the rat race and to get
into the fields which are ‘in demand’, people often sacrifice their passions to
maintain their status in the society. Perhaps for them, more than the happiness
of their own, society’s opinions about them matter. We often hear some parents
saying “What will people say?” The freedom to make life choices, in many cases,
is not present even while choosing a life partner. Career and marriage, which
are lifelong and crucial decisions, often are left to the judgment of the
society. In such cases, where the heart and mind are not at peace, how can one
be happy? Unfortunately, high salary earned in dissatisfactory job also does
not amount to happiness. Thus, a higher per capita income does not necessarily
contribute towards happiness. Haven’t we heard that ‘Money can’t buy happiness’?
As far as generosity is
concerned, deduction under section 80G of Income tax Act attempts to pay
respect to the donors, although the intentions of such donations may not always
be noble. Nevertheless! Do these donations really benefit the needy or do they
only help the rich to get richer, is the question. The problem of inequality of
happiness arises in a densely populated country like India, where there are not
enough and equal opportunities for all. Lack of opportunities and fairness are
the some of the reasons why brain drain can happen. Economic and social factors
like large population, high poverty and unemployment- elements of vicious
circle, are determinants of adversity, leading to unhappiness among people.
A nation is happy when
every citizen is happy, where there is no struggle to make both ends meet and
people have the liberty to pursue their passions. That is possible only when
creation of opportunities start. To achieve happiness at such a macro level is
a Herculean task; surely it will take time to achieve a 100% happy population. At
an individual level, we are responsible for our happiness. True, that we cannot
always have everything that we want. But finding happiness in whatever we have
and doing something that really gives us happiness ensures well being of the
body and mind.
Recently I bought me a
bicycle and riding it every morning helps me reach a rejuvenating sense of
happiness. Reading novels and immersing myself in their stories gives me
immense happiness. Understanding German language and delving into its beauty
every time I read an article, helps me to understand the world better. Writing
helps me to discover my inner self and develops my thought process. Interesting
discussions with my friends and family, good food and hearty laugh also define
my sources of happiness. It makes me realize that I am the owner of my happiness;
people around me cannot decide when I should be happy. And I am convinced of
this fact every time I see a frolic bunch of children, laughing and playing.
Nothing around them seems to affect their happiness.
In a world of widely
prevalent social media, where a smiling profile picture need not necessarily
symbolize happiness, it is important to find genuine happiness within oneself. Because
many happy individual minds and sanguine mindsets can really build a happy
nation!
