Recently, I visited the Philippines and was hosted by a group of people living away from the main city. There were about 2,000 people in that village situated at the foot of a hill, accessible by foot (about 40 minutes' walk) or motorbike. The rustic charm was appealing to most of us, indeed a welcome change for the urban dwellers. Though it did not have the modern amenities associated with a modern city, it was compensated by the fresh mountain air and warm hospitality of the host. We were told that the community was established more than a 100 years ago. With limited resources within their reach, most of us would have felt uneasy and perhaps dissatisfied. On the contrary, we had witnessed much happiness and contentment in their communal setting. It brought me to reflectt more deeply: What brings happiness? For example, Bhutan has a Happiness Index while the rest of the world uses economy or GDP to measure the nation's success.
2 comments:
What is happiness?
Hellen Keller:
Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.
Carl Yung:
There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.
W. Beran Wolfe:
If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator.
Brother David Steindl-Rast:
Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more.
Me: Happiness is like the waves hitting the shore. It comes in moments. Unlike the waves, it is within our power to create these happiness moments. Do it. When others make them, seize the moments and enjoy them for as long as you can.
I am grateful for the comments. Have a happy day!
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