I have been pondering on the subject of happiness lately. My friend Yoga was surpisingly chirpy when I met him during my West Coast trip. Surprisingly because he has gone through a lot recently including two broken arms in a biking accident. Still there he was, happily telling jokes instead of wailing on his plight. What is his secret?
The NPR reporter Eric Weiner set out on a quest to find the secret sauce behind happiness. He visited happy and unhappy countries alike trying to see where there were any patterns behind happiness. It certainly was not money - oil rich Qatar is fantastically rich yet is does not figure in the list of happiest places. It certainly was not geography - the frigid, desolate Iceland only has 6 months of sun but is still very happy. Happiness it seems can be attained in several ways. One way is to foster a sense of kinship by living in small, homogenous communities. The other is by actively suppressing envy, as the Swiss do by effacement and avoiding ostentation. An effective government and being close to nature also goes a long way. Eric also tried his hand at Art Of Living, a new-age Indian spiritual cult but was not very impressed. He then completes a full circle and returns to Asheville, North Carolina which according to happiness data is the happiest place in U.S.
"The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World" by Eric Weiner - Rating: 7/10
The ancients had it all figured out centuries ago. The path to happiness starts from within. Western philosophy produced Stoicism - a personal philosophy on leading the good life. The emphasis was on training yourself to meet any adversity that may befall you. That meant not getting attached to anything too much, lest it maybe taken away from you. It is a pity that modern education teaches us everything except how to live a good life. My life has so far been bereft of a personal philospohy all these years. Stoicism it seems will fit the bill. For those of you who wish to know more about Stoicism, I suggest "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy" by William Braxton Irvine - Rating 8/10.
Having a childlike wonder about the world also helps. As part of my personal project on expanding my horizons, I am now reading children's poetry :). It is not as drab as it seems. I have unearthed a rare gem - "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein. The poetry is childlike and profound at the same time. Here is a sample of his work:
A spider lives inside my head
Who weaves a strange and wondrous web
Of silken threads and silver strings
To catch all sorts of flying things,
Like crumbs of thought and bits of smiles
And specks of dried-up tears,
And dust of dreams that catch and cling
For years and years and years . .
"Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein - Rating 7/10
Wow! Bobby, good to see me being mentioned here. Now that makes me happier :-). BTW, I read Viktor Frankl's book - Man's search for Meaning (twice back to back). Great book. Thanks for the recommendation.
Posted by: Yoga | 09/25/2011 at 08:53 PM
Happiness has its own language and its own definition,it just surfaces on the most unusual places and hides itself, when we think it should have been seen the most...
True happiness lies within and the heart and mind combine to bring it to the surface.
Great post , you write really well!
Keep Up!
Posted by: Sana | 10/21/2011 at 10:47 PM
Happiness has its own language and its own definition,it just surfaces on the most unusual places and hides itself, when we think it should have been seen the most...
True happiness lies within and the heart and mind combine to bring it to the surface.
Great post , you write really well!
Keep Up!
Posted by: Sana | 10/21/2011 at 10:49 PM
Spoken like a philosopher :)
Posted by: The Third Eye | 10/22/2011 at 07:33 AM