Happy Nation

The upbeat song of Swedish pop group Ace of Base reverberates inside my ears when I read the News Feature of Philippine Star online edition:‘Filipinos among happiest people’

"Happy nation, living in a happy nation, where the people understand, and dream of perfect man"

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Yes indeed Filipinos are among the happiest people in the world. It is intriguing how the survey was done since Filipinos are often heard complaining about expanded value added tax, corruption in BIR, DPWH and Bureau of Customs, no water supply for 8 hours, flooded streets after monsoon rains, traffic in Ayala and Edsa, unsolved vigilante killings, lack of jobs, credit downgrades, external debt, kidnapping, calamities.. the list goes own. But irony of ironies, the Filipino is among the happiest in the world. What does the face of the saddest people on earth look like? I wonder.

Filipinos are rated as the happiest Asians according to the World Values Survey. Not really number one but among the top ten in the world. Just think about the remark that Filipinos are there because they are very happy with their lifestyles. Lifestyles? That seems unlikely in a culture stereotyped with colonial mentality and unending jealousy. But to be fair, that claim is indeed credible as I myself could attest to it. Many friends decide easily to go back to the Philippines because the way of life is more laid back and you don't have to worry about time. Sounds ironic to me because if you are working around Makati's Central Business District and you live in Quezon City or nearby Cavite province, you will have to wake up early to take the public transport and avoid getting late in the office.

But no matter how pundits mock us for being lazy, easy go lucky and people bound to less direction in the future, we have what man ultimately want, happiness and contentment. Ask Filipinos who lived in America or elsewhere in the world if their lives are comparable to what they used to have in the province. Most probably they would say they miss the native dishes, swim the beaches or hang out with childhood friends and visit relatives. Those who oppose may have the guts to hide their feelings.

In the survey, Venezuelans are the happiest, even if their leader Hugo Chavez is ruling the country with an iron fist and appears to be leaning towards socialism thereby foregoing or limiting the nation's liberty, an essential element to happiness. Nigerians came in second even if the country itself is among the most heavily indebted, civil wars disrupted Africa's biggest democracy and living conditions very evident to be in dire straits that people resort to various means such as the notorious scam over the Internet.

Irish and Icelanders seem to be two justified happy people along with the Dutch who wound up three, four and five in the rankings. We follow them and we're trailed by the Australians (despite the gracious lifestyle they have in Down Under), Americans, the Turks and Swiss nationals.

You are right, the Philippines is the only Asian country in the top ten. Isn't that a wonder?

What seems to hold the key on why many European countries, affluent and assumed to have everything they want, are not in the list lies in the statement by the researchers. "Material goods are considered happiness suppresant", it said in a statement. So you won't expect Japan, UK, France or even Saudi Arabia to be on top if you have this conclusion.

It is interesting that many of the least happy people are found in the region of Eastern Europe. Bulgarians, Belorussians, Russians, Moldovans and people of Ukraine have single digit percentage poins with Latvia as the least happy among the group. Could it be that the diminished power of Soviet Union also meant instability in the region in terms of peace and order as well as economic. It would be noted that a certain group of people in the Carpathians were reputed to have the highest life expectancies in the world, rivalling that of Japan. Could someone be not happy and live long?