What Makes People Happy

Back in high school I attended a retreat called "Days with the Lord". I still vividly remember key points in one of the talks which was passionately delivered by one of the great teachers of the Ateneo High School, Mr. Onofre Pagsanghan on happiness. He said there are three things in life you need will make you happy; somebody to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. These are very simple and very easy to remember. I can easily recall them almost 40 years later after I heard his talk. It is also the passion and power in the way he shared this talk with is is something I will never forget. He consistently delivered this talk about 9 or 10 times a year for several years. I know because for most of us kids at that time, it was probably one of the most memorable and inspirational talks we've ever heard at that moment of our life. We will also never forget it because it's true. Somebody to love, something to do, and something to look forward to are pillars that will power you through the mundane moments in life. If one of the three is missing, you will miss it...

At it's core I think those are the basics but video below breaks it down into the following if you want to know if the citizens of a country is happy or not:

- GDP per capita (how rich the people are)
- Healthy life expectancy (do people live well)
- Freedom to make life choices (can they do what they want)
- Social support (are they connected to friends and family)
- Generosity (can they interact and grow)
- Absence of corruption (do they trust leadership)

Many articles state that money really doesn't bring happiness. You really just need enough to give you freedom to make life choices and any more will not add to happiness and may actually lead to unhappiness. Having the ability to experience most in life is what is key which is also why having good healthy life is on of the keys. Sharing is caring whether through philanthropy or simply sharing experiences or being connected with friends and family is life's energy.

The absence of corruption actually came as a surprise to me but it does really make a lot of sense coming from a very corrupt country. Knowing that you can trust your leaders to look after everyone's need instead of their own will not make you hesitate paying you taxes and following rules. A trustworthy government is empowering since because you know everyone is on the same page of looking after each other.

Considering all of these the Philippines ranks 20th out of 140 in the Happy Planet Index website. Looking at all those factors stated, the only strength our country has is it's strong social support system. Maybe that's the most important thing. The Filipino has strong ties among families and friends. Our overseas workers do what they do because of family. They sacrifice to bring their families out of poverty. I just take that as an example of how strong families here are to help each other but even foreigners are amazed on how strong familial bonds are here. Christmas is one of the longest and most celebrated seasons in the country because it's a chance to see family and friends. And these are the people you love most and that is what matters....