My niece Hannah, with Aunt Terrie and Mum Rebekah
Recently in the last 5 years, the United Nations sacntioned a think tank, called Sustainable Development Solutions Network to find out, in measurable terms, the factors which cause people to be happy. So, after 5 years, the World Happiness Report 2017 is out and there are 5 main criteria which cause people living in that country to be 'happy'. Inevitably there will be a ranking of the countries worldwide, and Singapore came in a respectable 26th, but 4 rungs lower than 2016. It however, is a Western influenced think-tank using few abstract values (only 2) and the remainder being what they (the think tank) think would make people in that country 'happy'.
Terrie and Grandma
The criteria are as listed below :
1. Per capita gross domestic product (per capita GDP)
2. Healthy Life expectancy
3. Freedom
4. Generosity
5. Social Support
6. Absence of Corruption in Government or Business
Lets look at each criteria one by one :
1. Per capita GDP ; - I think this criteria is totally off the mark
This is just the ratio of the gross domestic production of a country in total real numbers divided by the resident population ; the correlation is that the higher the GDP the 'richer' the country. But does a 'richer' country which has rapidly ageing population make it a more 'happy' one ?
The USA has one of the highest per capita GDP in the world, the inner cities are teeming with crime and stories of heartbreak, homelessness and substance use, gangs and family breakdowns. How can this be a 'happy' country.
Same goes for the Nordic countries, the lack of sunlight for close to half a year causes severe depression and high suicide rates in the population especially amongst the elderly. Again, how can this be a factor to be considered seriously ?
Singapore is also a high per capita GDP country. But the reality is that it is also stressful, given that we have no natural resources and have to rely on our brainpower and initiative to eke out a sustainable and profitable enterprise for the long run. The high cost of living here also does not make Singapore a 'chill out' and 'hang loose' place like, for example, Bali in Indonesia.
If we have saved and invested wisely, we would presumably lead happy and comfortable lives with our retirement savings (ie. CPF), but then again, this is always the plan. And plans do go awry.
2. Healthy Life Expectancy
This I agree is crucial, to have many healthy years to a person's life is a vital component to a person being happy. If a person can have a healthy life, that is one big worry off his mind and he would be 'happier' than those who have contracted life threatening diseases.
For developed countries including Singapore, healthcare services are worldclass, but again, the proper mindset from young to eat healthy, exercise regularly and go for regular medical checkups are so important.
3. Freedom
This I disagree. Again many people I have met in supposedly not free countries are happier than totally free countries. The peoples of Myanmar are far more happy than the lot I have seen in European states or the developed countries. Freedom is a very personal concept. Many people are happy just being told what to do, at the expense of freedom of movement, and expression and just exist or adapt without those freedoms which the Western democracies speak so highly about.
The 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution states 'the freedom to bear arms'. Again, this has more downsides than upsides. While personal freedoms allow (by law) this, where then is the freedom of the ordinary people to be able to walk the street or parks day or night without the fear of being robbed, shot or raped at gunpoint ??
There should be limits on freedom especially for the greater good of society, so individual
freedoms need to be moderated and checked, and legislated.
4. Generosity
This I agree. A sharing society is a caring society. Inclusiveness makes everyone share the load of the bad and enjoying the fruits of the good. If a country is rich, it should enact many programs to help the poor, including their neighbours, because, if both neighbours are about there in terms of wealth generation and savings, it would benefit both countries.
5. Social Support
I agree here too. There are many who fall through the cracks or safety nets of society and if there is no social support in the forms of Government Welfare services, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), religious organizations and Social enterprises, then there will always be unhappy people in their midst.
Russia and some of the former Soviet states comes to mind, where there is the severe absence of these groups (I may be wrong though).
6. Absence of Corruption in Government
I disagree again here. Clean government while it is good, does not a happy and healthy population make.
In my next few posts, I will humbly submit what I think are the requisite parameters (at both personal level and country level) to be happy.
The pursuit of happiness while it is a basic human right, may not be suitable to everyone.
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