The 2013 World Happiness Report was published on Monday and Denmark, once again, took the top spot, with Norway and Sweden in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The US ranked 17th trailing Mexico at 16th with Canada coming in 6th.
The question being: would you move to Northern Europe where healthcare is a civil right, gender equality is prioritized, biking is encouraged, and there's a national sense of civic responsibility, but it's freezing-ass cold most of the time? Some days I feel like I'd rather suffer and die where the sun is shining and the weather is warm. Tough one.
The link to the report is above; here's the link to a Huffington Post article.
factual question: who wrote The Therapy of Desire? Martha Nussbaum
ReplyDeletediscussion question: do you think virtue and happiness go hand in hand? do you think people should have virtue in order to be happy?
to answer dean's question above... i would move to Northern Europe in a heartbeat if i could afford to live and work there. this country has turned into a bunch of mean evil spirited people doing things in the name of their religion. so many people these day think that if you are happy, then you obviously are not living a good life. so many of these religions go on the concept of suffering now for the promise of something in a later life. why can't we all just be happy while we can?
as far as what makes me happy..... the link below is a link for light painting. this is a passion of mine that i have been working with for some time now. i would love to get as good as the photos on this site.
http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2013/04/03/how-to-paint-with-light-patience-required/
I'd just like to throw in my 2 cents and say yes, light painting kicks ass...and I really suck at it.
DeleteSaddens me to think that we're below Mexico, where drinking water is scarce and drug cartels run huge portions of the country. I would move to Europe and endure the cold if I could be sure that I would get citizenship. This is the difficult part for anyone trying to relocate, and without a visa, a lot of those countries boot you out efficiently--they KNOW where you are. There is no, or at least very difficult to find, "off the grid."
ReplyDeleteWhat good is warm weather if we're just going to feel miserable in it?
Leigh--that light painting is breathtaking! Please share your work in this area when you feel that it's ready to be shared :D
In response to Dean, I can honestly say that I'd rather be happy than warm. Besides, Oslo is fairly warm as far as Scandinavia goes...in fact, temperatures in Oslo are comparable to Tennessee. Food for thought...
ReplyDeleteI would rather be happy than warm too. I was just wondering if one could be happy in a place very conducive to happiness, yet it's cold. Qualifier: I'm thinking southern California warm too.
DeleteFactual Question
ReplyDeleteAristotle's Law states that Virtue is a necessary condition for what?
Happiness
Discussion Question- Do you agree with the claims by Plato, Aristotle, and Hellenistic philosophers that psychological egoism is simply "self-defeating."? I know I would have to agree, but I'm interested to see if anyone has a differing opinion on the matter and what your rationale for it is.
I would like to share with you a book Dr. Oliver introduced to me the other week, The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. The author travels from America to Iceland, to India in search of the answer to the question- Does where you live make you more or less happy contingent upon environmental and social factors of the respected place. I haven't read too far in yet, but it's an interesting read at the least.
FQ: Santideva claims, in The Bodhisattva's Way of Life, that what alone is pleasing to enlightened or awakened ones?
ReplyDeleteA: sattvaraddhana-one's service to sentient beings.