Tuesday 27 October 2009

Are you happy?

My friend Marcelo posted this brilliant graphic to his blog last week - I think it was around the time of his wedding anniversary.
I've been thinking alot about happiness, wondering whether I am happy - strangely I do find I have been smiling alot more in recent weeks, feeling more at peace too.
Happiness is such a gentle non-assertive word yet it is also a totally essential non-material value - in organisations, in life. I learnt yesterday at the WHO that it is also an essential non-material value in individual and community health.
So what would you like - more money or feeling happier?
Are you happy? And why are you happy?
Unless you are Danish, renowned for being the happiest place on earth, it may be quite complex to begin to answer that. Maybe that's one of the reasons that Dr B and I are thinking of travelling to Copenhagen for Christmas. In the meantime the thing that is making Dr B and myself happy this evening is watching the live feed from the EKD council elections. We must be deeply, deeply strange! Anyway the 8th round of voting is about to be called, do listen in here to the commentary and live reporting from the EKD synod in Ulm. It's fun if elections are amongst the things that excite you and make you happy.

3 Comments:

Anonymous said...

re the happiness thing.
it's just like health in itself, not the destination, perhaps the comfort class you (have to) travel in?
Rich

FLO said...

One of the guys in the Public Health dept here does a lot of work about how hopelessness is a risk factor for heart disease. Hope you had fun at the WHO - I had a superwhistlestop tour from a friend's dad when I was in Genf. Hope all is well with you my dear =]

Jane said...

Yep mental health is a key factor in overall health - and we all keep forgetting ...