“ Inspirational English” talks to Shamash Alidina, one of the founders of the Museum of Happiness.
Hi Shamash. Can you tell me how you came up with the idea of the Museum of Happiness?
Several things came together that gave me and my co-founder the idea. Firstly, I saw an advert by a fizzy drinks company almost promising people happiness if they bought the drink. That seemed untrue to me. Secondly, I met a volunteer at an event whose parents built and managed the Museum of Nonsense( Nonseum). And thirdly, I discovered that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
Putting all these facts together, I googled museum of happiness and found nothing. So my co-founder and I decided to work together to create the world ' s first museum of happiness, based on our values of kindness, creativity, community and mindfulness.
You believe that“ Happiness arises from ' we ', not just ' me '”. Can you share with our readers about an event that you organised and what positive impact it has had on the community?
A few weeks ago a homeless person came to the canvas cafe to enjoy a cup of coffee, as the cafe offers ' pay it forward ' coffees.
He then noticed the Museum of Happiness at the back and walked in. We had a free drop in meditation class happening. The man was shivering with cold so a couple of people offered him their scarf and a blanket. Then the
Shamash Alidina is the author of the book“ Mindfulness for Dummies” and founder of“ Teach Mindfulness and Happier World”.
The Museum of Happiness is a nonprofit organisation that provides an experiential adventure, where people of all ages and backgrounds can learn more about the essence of happiness and well-being. By using interactive exhibitions, workshops and events, they offer sciencebased techniques that people can implement into their everyday lives. The team believes in the following principles:
• Be as much volunteer run as possible- give from the heart for the joy of giving
• Don ' t spend too much time fundraising- trust people will support us along the way to be self-sustaining
• Be accessible to all, whatever their financial position- offering free or donation places when we can afford to do so
For more info:
ShamashAlidina. com MuseumofHappiness. org Facebook. com / shamashalidina Twitter. com / shamashalidina
4