Tariq Saeedi
It is a country that can literally pull protein out of thin air and has the world’s youngest prime minister. It is also the happiest country in the world. — Finland, by all means, is a role model for Central Asia.
* * *
The 2019 World Happiness Report confirmed yet again that Finland is the happiest country in the world.
There is something with these Nordic countries – Finland is followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden.
The World Happiness Report – https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2019/ – based on a survey by Gallup, takes into account six factors: GDP per capita; social support; life expectancy; freedom to make life choices; generosity; and corruption levels.
Finland scores well on all of the factors but particularly the generosity.
Nearly half of the Finns told the survey that they donate regularly to a charity and a third said that they had volunteered time for charity in the previous month.
World Happiness Report 2019
Money plays an important part in happiness but it is not a decisive factor. Had the money been the main source of happiness, the USA with the world’s largest GDP would have been the happiest country. In fact, the USA has fallen by one place, from 18 to 19.
Looking at the countries that top the list, it can be said that a sense of wellbeing and security is more important than money.
Security here covers all the aspects of life: economic, personal, social and all other kinds of security that contribute to the general sense of wellbeing.
It is also about the system – the system in Finland is such that the people don’t have to worry about the housing, education, healthcare, jobs, and public services.
There is also the strong feeling of community and comradeship, a hybrid product of geography and the system.
The Report says that the nation recording the strongest growth in happiness this year was Benin, which has enjoyed a period of stability. The West African nation is ranked 102 in the overall happiness table followed by Nicaragua, Bulgaria, Latvia and Togo. The five sharpest declines were in Venezuela, Syria, Botswana, India and Yemen.
For Finland, happiness is entrenched in the system. It is a way of life. /// nCa, 20 January 2020
To be continued . . .