Exemplars of Happiness

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 118^th 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!