What people need to remember amid Hong Kong’s social unrest: happiness is a choice and we must not forget to multiply and share it in the new year
- Hong Kong is one of the least happy places on Earth and the ongoing social unrest seems to only eat away at our happiness further
- But the problem may lie in the fact that many of us do not know what kind of happiness we really want and where to look for it
An early Happy New Year to you all!
Sadly, happiness has been a rather distant goal for most Hongkongers in the past six months while the city continues to be rocked by violence and vandalism with its future hanging in the balance.
Ask any Hongkonger what they would want most in 2020 or to choose one thing they would like to improve on in the new year; many would most likely say – happiness.
In most of the decisions we make in life or things we do or pursue, we, knowingly or not, aim to achieve happiness as the ultimate goal. So, if you are asked what is more important to you, happiness or success, either answer is the same. It is because they are the same thing; let me explain why.
I often assess how well a year has turned out by measuring how happy I have been throughout that year. Sometimes it means going beyond the physical rewards of achievements or material gains such as a job promotion or an expensive gift, and focusing more on what a certain decision, effort, or outcome has brought, such as a sense of well-being, contentment, hence happiness.
In other words, the true reward of success could be intangible or maybe it does not even come to us directly or appear in a physical form.
We all have different definitions as to what it really means to be happy because of our varied views and attitudes towards happiness.
We seek happiness and do all we can to find it, but sometimes we value the wrong kind of happiness without truly understanding what it really means and how to feel or maintain it.
Happiness declines in Hong Kong amid protest crisis
Hong Kong has not been a truly happy place for some time. In recent years, the city has fared poorly in the annual United Nations Happiness Report.
The latest one that came out in March 2019 showed Hongkongers to be no happier than they were 12 months earlier, but no less so either. This is the second year in a row that put the city as the 76th happiest place in the world out of 150 places surveyed.
We cannot even use the protests as an excuse either, so what is eating away at our city’s happiness?
In 2017, Hong Kong ranked 71st, and it was 75th in 2016, again out of more than 150 places.
The 2019 report said the index was based on individuals’ assessment of their well-being relating to various factors, such as economic growth, social support, freedom, healthy life expectancy, and the absence of corruption where they live.
Since the survey was conducted well before the ongoing political and social chaos the city has been experiencing, this means the next annual ranking is likely to be far worse.
As usual, Nordic countries topped the list, and even neighbouring places like Taiwan is far ahead of Hong Kong when it comes to happiness. It is rated as the happiest place in East Asia, occupying the 25th place on the index while our rival city Singapore ranked 34th. Hong Kong is one of the least happy places on Earth, say no more.
Hong Kong was an unhappy city long before protests divided us further
Even before the anti-government protests, Hong Kong was not exactly a “sunshine” city despite being one of the world’s richest places; Hong Kong apparently has more multimillionaires than New York, according to the World Ultra Wealth Report from Wealth-X.
Maybe the problem lies in the fact that many do not know what kind of happiness they really want and where to look for it.
In a fast-paced city like Hong Kong, people tend to appreciate and go after instant gratification and want to experience happiness in the moment. They do so by filling their lives with material happiness like shopping, partying or wining and dining on a frequent basis but which only gives them superficial happiness.
These fleeting moments of happiness might not always be memorable as compared to times remembered as happy even though the experience itself might be frustrating like taking care of your rowdy young child. It might not be all that pleasant but it certainly can be memorable and be stored away as a pleasant memory.
The city has been going through some of the darkest moments in its history and most Hongkongers may feel like going to pieces. On any given day when things in your life might seem to be going wrong and you find it really hard to see the silver lining, pause for a moment.
Remember: happiness is a choice.
We all have the power to make that choice and not to forget happiness can be multiplied and shared.
Finding and sharing happiness when times are tough is like seeing the good in the worst situations. Truly happy people stay happy and they know how to share it in the worst circumstances. True Hongkongers are survivors and they sure have that capability.
Many Hongkongers might not feel the joy in their lives at the moment. But there is always something to cherish and be happy about only if we care to look and recognise happiness by appreciating even little things in life that bring us the smallest amount of pleasure. These little things include time with family, a walk in the park or sharing a meal together, all of which we sometimes take for granted.
As we get ready for 2020, try to be a little happier and create more truly memorable happy moments for yourself and others. And maybe being a bright spot in someone’s life is a good baby step to make Hong Kong a happier place in the new year.
Luisa Tam is a correspondent at the Post
