In Search of Happiness

The planet Oz is a highly technologically advanced society. People have all kinds of conveniences and comforts in life. On the surface, everything is going smoothly and there is nothing to complain about. But deep down, everyone feels something is missing, even though they can’t quite put their fingers on it. One day, the king of Oz summoned his wisest advisor for a consultation. “I’ve been noticing that our people seem to be depressed and I don’t know why. How do you suggest we should go about attaining happiness in our lives?” “We can start from our children, your majesty. Happy children are more likely to grow up to be happy adults.”

UNICEF, the children’s organization of the United Nations, published a report in 2017 on child well-being. Some of these countries included in the report were the Netherlands and Denmark. Children in both countries ranked as some of the happiest kids in the world!

“Your majesty, according to my research, children in the Netherlands spend more time staying outdoors. They are given plenty of unstructured, free playtime and typically participate in a wide array of activities. What’s more, kids in the Netherlands spend more time with both their parents!” “Similar to the Netherlands, children in Denmark have a lot of space to play, explore, and make decisions. There are also two key concepts that are taken into consideration in regards to education; empathy and something called hygge.” “We should also give our kids more time and freedom to play and nurture respect and empathy for others. Thank you for your wise words!”

“Hallo, wise advisor from the planet Oz, can you please come to our show and tell us what else we can do to be happier?” “Happiness is a nurtured habit. We can all learn and train our happiness! Particularly there are three practices we can follow: doing good for others, doing self-fulfilling activities, and doing good for yourself.”