happy...

(What is)
Happiness

...Inq7...

Happiness, says the Greek philosopher Aristotle,
occurs when our human capacities function well. For him, the most
distinctive of these capacities is reason,
and so happiness must be the contemplation of the results of reason.
But he wavered between equating happiness with contemplation and
seeing it as the outcome of other human functions.

The eminent American guru of Positive Psychology,
Dr. Martin E. Seligman, was the guest of Stephen Sackur on BBC's
"Hardtalk" this week,
He talked of three forms of happiness:
-Positive Emotions,
-Total Engagement, and
-Meaning and Purpose.
They are interrelated, he says, and indeed he talks of them as if they
were stages. Of these,
the easiest to achieve is the first -- cheerfulness and laughter.
The most difficult is anchoring life's meaning to a purpose that you
believe to be larger than you.
This concept of happiness is fascinating, but I think it is
culture-bound. It is still resonant of the Western accent on the
primacy of reason and the intellect.

Survey after survey has shown that Filipinos rank very high in the
happiness index. But we are not really sure what happiness consists of
for the average Filipino. I am certain that the Filipino's capacity
for happiness even in the most adverse circumstances would still be
significantly higher than the scores for the bastions of Aristotelian
contemplation, like Britain, France, or Germany.

What might this suggest about the Filipino's notion of the good life?
To me, it indicates a preference for sheer sociability -- being with
others for its own sake -- over any form of intellectual or cognitive
achievement. We often say that our notion of happiness is shallow
("mababaw ang kaligayahan natin"). So be it. I think theorists like
Seligman or self-help gurus like Rick Warren will have to show how
having a "higher" purpose in life deepens one's happiness, or why this
should be the norm for everyone.

When the Filipino says he feels happiest when he is at home with
family and friends, I think he is expressing a wisdom our ancestors
have always known. We are indeed a culture of conviviality. All our
basic values confirm this: "pakikisama," "hiya," "utang na loob," etc.
They all refer to standards prescribing smooth relations with others.
They stand in contrast to Western values like virtue, wisdom, personal
authenticity, freedom, etc.

Sociologists might explain this difference as an aspect of the
contrast between pre-modernity and modernity. They would suggest that
the direction of all societal evolution is toward the emergence of the
individual from the control of his family, clan, community or nation.
To a certain extent this is probably true. But how do we explain the
fact that many overseas Filipino workers and immigrants who have
managed to wrench themselves away from the womb of their society
nevertheless continue to be emotionally engaged in the affairs of
their primordial communities. Like turtles, they seem to have brought
their homes on their backs.

The answer, perhaps, lies in the courage, faith, assurance and, yes,
cheerfulness, that we Filipinos effortlessly draw from being in the
company of other people we know. I am sure we will find this as well
in other cultures in varying degrees, but not in the exceptional way
in which Filipinos seek out each other's company.

In the 1960s, motivational psychologists like David McClelland were
preaching the gospel of the N-Ach (need for achievement). They
measured cultures like ours and pronounced them short in N-Ach. Today,
mercifully, they have focused their attention on the
economically-advanced societies, measuring them on the happiness
index, and pronouncing them severely lacking in happiness.

The modern preoccupation with happiness is amazing. It has spawned a
whole industry in those countries that have solved the basic problems of

mass poverty
but now must contend with what Seligman calls the

"epidemic of depression."

Clearly, there is no direct relationship between wealth and happiness.
Beyond a certain level of wealth, Seligman says, more money buys less
happiness.
Happiness, just like economic growth, is a worthy goal of the state,
Seligman declares. And many governments are listening.

We Filipinos are still a long way from vanquishing the scourge of

mass poverty.

But this seems a lot easier today

than the conquest of misery itself.

We may be a failure at governance for now,
but it is a great gift that we know how to be happy.


(By Randy David)


Happy Christmas!