August 15, 2006
Trying to Get Back in the Swing
I'm having a bit of a struggle maintaining my jolly hopefulness, given current world conditions.
There are some who believe that peaceloving conscious mortals can influence the woowoo in a positive way if they continue to imagine what they want, rather than what they don't want, and make the best of what already exists. Whether or not the technique works, doing just that makes everyday life much more appealing. I figure I should try, although it's been more of a struggle lately. My personal circumstances at this very moment-- sitting on my comfy couch on a warm sunny afternoon, snuggling with my laptop, plugged into the universe -- are quite divine.
I'm doing my best to envision love, compassion, hope and beauty. You know, the usual, and it's working a little. I must say that tui na this morning really helped me out.
Adrian White, a social psychologist from the U. of Leicester, has produced a world map of happiness. Unfortunately, the original interactive map at Leicester's website seems to have been removed, so you'll have to strain to see the one in the clickie.
The Danes are currently the happiest folks on earth and the Burundians the least. The US of A is # 23, but we're coping with George Bush. . You can read the list yourself.
Health provision, wealth and education are the most important factors in determining the happiness of a population. Mr. White left out countries that are at war. Had they been included, there would be quite a few black holes in this map. Evidently, it was a foregone conclusion that war doesn't contribute to happiness in any significant way;
I had heard that nations with the highest number of choral singing groups per square mile were happiest (of course, I can't find that reference) People who play in string quartets are also very happy. Since the only form of choral singing I've been able to do successfully is toning in the Tibetan manner, it's unlikely that my happiness will manifest from musical activity.
Maybe happiness isn't what we should be aiming for anyway. Like George W. Bush says, freedom is important.
Photo note: A pressed stainless steel panel from the side of Betsy's Diner - I thought it was pretty