Bliss

Am I happy?

That's a tough question. Not because I'm unhappy but because it can mean so many things. I finished "The Geography of Bliss" today. The same day as Michael J Fox's television special on optimism and the appearance of a New York Times article about Bhutan's policy of Gross National Happiness (GNH). Both remind me of a recent presentation at school on positive psychology and another school I've been working with that is implementing this type of research into their program.

Even without the fact that happiness seems to be chasing me today, Eric Weiner's journey around the world has got me thinking about happiness, joy, bliss, or whatever else you want to call it. Weiner travelled the world examining happiness. He chose his destinations in part by hitting the highs and lows on a list of countries' perceived levels of happiness. These ratings are based primarily on surveys given in each country. At first it seems a bit unreliable judge a country's happiness by just asking someone to pick a number on scale. But if doctors can trust patients to judge the severity of pain by picking a number on a scale with a happy face on one side and a frowny face on the other maybe this works too. I'm also reminded of Transparency International, an organization that measures corruption in various countries with surveys of perceived corruption. Seems a bit unreliable at first until you consider the alternative, "excuse me senator, could you tell me how many bribes you accepted last year?"

Weiner is careful not to prescribe a specific path to achieving bliss or pinpoint its location but his travels do offer some good advice. In short, I think he would agree that happiness is a lot more about people than places. Countries that provided a society where people know and trust their neighbors seem to be a lot happier, regardless of many other factors. In fact, these other factors can vary significantly. Weiner would probably challenge Tolstoy's suggestion that all happy families are alike. They exist in the dark cold winter of Iceland, the straight faces of the Swiss, the humblest hovels of India, the mountains of Bhutan, the desert of Qatar, and even a few in the "unhappiest" country of all: Moldova.


Back to my initial question. I have a daughter who begs me to read with her, another who smiles on cue, and a son with an imagination vibrant enough to put Dr. Henry Jones in the cockpit of a TIE Fighter. My wife is supportive, creative, and beautiful an every way. My students laugh at my stupid jokes and my colleagues trust my opinions. I have neighbors who tell us when we've left the car windows up in the rain and gather spontaneously at the smell of charcoal from any one's porch. So, despite the fact that it has rained every day for two weeks, I sometimes have to check the bank account before buying groceries, and I am trying not to panic about a new job and cross country move, yes, I'm happy. Very happy.

Update: Not more than two hours after posting this I came across an interview with Phil Keoghan, host of the Amazing Race who has travelled the world seeking adreniline pulsing adventure. When asked about his favorite place on earth he responded with "anywhere I'm with the people I love." Nice confirmation from the host of my favorite show.