In pursuit of happiness

So first up, if any reader has the time, here's a cocktail of articles:

1. Khaw Boon Wan thinks that Bhutan is not as happy a place as we think

2. Bhutanese refutes KBW

3. Student, most likely Singaporean, refutes Bhutanese

Who's right or wrong here?

I'll start by saying this: I am 23 years old, I grew up comfortably in a first world country hailed by many around the world as a model for national development, I have wonderful family and friends. I'm studying medicine, I've ran marathons, I've climbed mountains, I've travelled, I did research projects and I study from an iPad and an iPod touch. But I've never really considered myself happy.

Unfortunate thing is, the more you have, the more you want. The more you work for what you have, the more you think you did not get the good end of the deal. On top of that, I've never really viewed personal happiness as the ultimate goal in life, but we'll leave that till later.

What is happiness? I went for a talk by Steven Levitt (Mr Freakonomics) a couple of weeks back. He asserted that happiness is proportional to the amount of money we earn. To those who say money isn't everything, they should try living in Rwanda and other destitute countries around the world. BUT, he also added that the happiest people he knew do not work for money too.

That's true. Once you have enough money to bail you out of war, riots, starvation and disease, how happy you are would pretty much depend on your perception of life. I stand by the ideas of capitalism/elitism (see this and this) but I never believed in ridiculing another's way of life to promote my own. Through a combination of a closed door policy and good fortune, Bhutan probably has escaped the disasters that have plagued Africa and North Korea. There are no iPads, no swanky restaurants, no BMWs, but if they can be content with what Nature has provided them, who are we to judge?

Of course, it is so dangerous for Singaporeans to think- even for a fleeting moment- that they can be happy without material welfare. Gasp! What would happen to pursuit of the 5Cs and the endless striving that occurs in the offices of Shenton Way? Our economy will collapse. Therefore, for the good of this country, for the continued growth of this ever expanding hot air balloon, let's continue propagating the idea that many other countries are filled with poor stupid farmers living on the dregs that life has provided them. WE ARE THE SUPERIOR PEOPLE.

"Because they don't know what life is, they're quite happy. They wake up, they brush their teeth, then they'll farm, and then they'll sleep. But do you want it that way?"

- SM Goh Chok Tong weighs in on the meaning of life by talking about farmers

On a side note...

This is NOT Bhutan. This is Ooty, India. If I ever get diagnosed with a terminal disease I'll do everything I can to return to that place and if any luck I'll die there. As of now, the other thing that brings me happiness would be to swim in NUS, then eat subway at U-Town, then spend hours at U-Town reading Chinese history on my iPad. Since MBBS is coming the third item has to be sacrificed.

Of course, great times with Mum and Marsha count a lot.