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Happy Countries
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Naji Joseph Haddad
is a multilingual, multicultural and multidisciplinary Swedish-Lebanese educator, corporate trainer, linguist, industrial engineer, and freelance writer. He graduated from Stockholm University and the Royal University of Technology with two majors in Industrial Business Administration and English language; in addition to being authorized interpreter, quality auditor, CELTA certified English language teacher, and School debate adjudicator.
By Naji Joseph Haddad
There are around 195 countries in the world today. If you had the chance, which one would you choose to reside? From the smallest Vatican to the largest Russia, which is your dream country where you picture yourself living in for the rest of your life?
Regardless the conditions that people seek to fulfill their needs and aspirations, whether they are economically, socially, politically, or emotionally, at the end of the day each and everyone wants to live happily. The World Economic Forum ranks Sweden as the happiest country in the world followed by Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Denmark. The list above is a result of broad researches and calculations that include numerous parameters, but it can be simplified into a simple formula:
The happiest countries are those where people live long and happy lives at little cost to the environment
The Forum’ s calculations sound reasonable and fair, but they should only be considered as generic; they cannot possibly estimate an individual’ s happiness; after all, the study involves emotions and feelings that can be difficult to measure; moreover, people have different interpretations of the state of being‘ happy’.
As you have probably noticed, most of the happiest countries listed above are from Scandinavia. Talking from personal experience, many residents in Scandinavia seek to emigrate to other countries! Not for the sake of a better social security, safety or economy, but simply in pursuit of happiness. Obviously, eventhough these countries provide a generous welfare and the best amenities, this does not mean that people are necessarily happy. They also aspire to a warmer climate, less taxes, and more importantly, a fulfilling social life; after all, the major cause behind the desolation of Scandinavians is the lack of human contact, emptiness, and solitude.
Even the other countries listed above cannot possibly guarantee a fulfilled life. Many immigrants who live in diaspora yearn to move back to their homelands. Eventhough they enjoy the dream they had before they left their homelands, their numerous postings of social media are often soaked with longing, nostalgia, and sentimentality. Whether they failed, or refused, to adapt and integrate into new communities, the fact remains that they are not completely happy, if not at all.
Expatiates in the Gulf countries are no exception. For decades, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates tuned into a magnet for workers from all over the world. They are seeking job opportunities for a better economy knowing that this is merely a station. It is hardly any secret that they did not move to the Arab Peninsula to enjoy the heat, humidity or sandstorms of the desert. What makes them stay is the satisfaction that that one day they will return home with enough money to sustain a decent life. Their pursuit for happiness goes along with their pursuit for wealth( or the other way around).
Immigrants or emigrants aspire to move to happier countries for different reasons, but for the same purpose: a better life. Being happy in a country with a high rate of suicidal individuals is hardly a piece of evidence, and living in a country that suffers from poverty, war and unemployment is definitely not an attractive option either. Analogically, watching poor children laughing and playing joyfully in slums and ghettos is a better indicator of a happy country than children who glued to their Smartphones in isolation. With an introspective, in many cases people are happy in their homelands, but they do not know it … It is just that, for some, it takes a journey which might last a life time to realize that www. society. qa 31