Dear MEL Topic Readers,
During a pandemic, what does being the
world's happiest country mean?
What makes people happy varies widely by the
people, culture, beliefs, political system, freedom, equality, safety, economy,
income distribution, tax system, and environment, only to name a few. Set at
the UN general assembly in 2012, March 20 is World’s Happiness Day, which is intended
to draw international attention to happiness as a measurement of well-being. Each
year, over 150 countries are ranked based on six variables to support
well-being: income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and
generosity. Northern European countries like Finland, Denmark, Norway are
ranked high every year while African and some Asian countries are seen as the least
happy states, such as Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Yemen.
But when the world is under COVID-19
pandemic, is such happiness index valid? People in many places will be facing
social distancing, isolation, shelter life, business shutdown, and even
quarantine. What then will make people happier under the present and future
circumstances? It seems that mindset like trust, pride and willingness to help
each other plays an important role to overcome this extraordinary situation.
Enjoy reading the article and think how you are
going to manage yourself and your family under the crisis.
No comments:
Post a Comment