Now that I am back from 14 months in Malawi, I often ask
myself what I have brought back. What is it that will stick with me, what will
I always remember?
Nkhotakota, Malawi - one of the poorest regions of one of the poorest countries in the world, at least in monetary terms.
But still – what does that really mean for happiness? Does that make them
miserable and unhappy? I would say no.
Today, 20 March, is the United Nations International Day of Happiness. I
think it is worthwhile for us contemplate a bit more about happiness. We in the western world are overloaded with propaganda every day which
in one way or another try to convince us that consumption is the key to
happiness. There are millions of different products and services out there that
will please us and entertain us, make us better looking and more popular. In order to consume, you need to have money. The ultimate
freedom to consume you get only if you are rich. That is maybe why most
people somehow choose to pursue monetary wealth – as a way to get to this
ultimate freedom to choose on how to consume and thereby attain happiness. But
is it so? Does it make you happy? I would say no.
This is what 14 months in Malawi has taught me:
There is absolutely no relation between happiness and
monetary wealth.
Before going to Malawi, some of my colleagues and friends
back home in Norway considered me to be a kind of hippie. Mostly because of my
dreadlocks I suspect, if it wasn’t for them I would probably just have been perceived
as another average guy. Before going to Malawi I would probably have exressed it something like “There is not a strong relation between happiness and wealth”,
but now I am getting to “absolutely no relation”. Is it so? Not completely unrelated maybe, but happiness is much more strongly related to other factors. The United
Nations International Day of Happiness has proposed the following guidelines to have a happy
life, based on a literature review of scientific publications on the topic of
happiness:
Let me try to analyze this in the context of my experiences
from Norway and Malawi:
Factor
|
Average Norwegian answer
|
Score
|
Average Malawian answer
|
Score
|
Do things for others
|
I do things for myself so I can feel good. And nobody
really needs my help anyway.
|
2
|
I mostly try to support my family and my community
|
5
|
Connect with people
|
Headphones on - leave me alone
|
2
|
Good morning! How are yooouuu!?!?
|
9
|
Take care of your body
|
I work out, I run Oslo Marathon, I do Birkebeineren on
skis and bicycle, I do Zumba and crossfit
|
6
|
Walking to work, walking to get water, lots of manual
work in the field – I keep active
|
6
|
Notice the world around you
|
No time for that - I'm busy
|
2
|
I have time, and not too much is happening anyway – so anything is
interesting!
|
8
|
Keep learning new things
|
Plenty of opportunity for that in Norway
|
8
|
Limited opportunities for learning
|
2
|
Have goals to look forward to
|
Too many of them. Goals you said? No, they are deadlines
|
7
|
We focus on what's going on today, tomorrow is not so important - we are
not there yet
|
3
|
Find ways to bounce back
|
No need to worry about that, that is the kommune’s
responsibility
|
5
|
In Malawi you learn how to bounce back - sometimes you
have to bounce back several times in one single day
|
7
|
Take a positive approach
|
Norwegians are more interested in criticizing than in being positive. An
extremely good meal in Norway would be characterized as "not too bad"
(ikke så verst)
|
2
|
If you can smile, then why don't you?
|
10
|
Be comfortable with who you are
|
Bombarded by propaganda about how you should be it is not
easy and most Norwegians strive to be something they are not
|
2
|
Who else can I be, if not myself?
|
9
|
Be part of something bigger
|
What "something bigger" are you talking about?
|
1
|
I believe in God.
|
10
|
Average score
|
Norway
|
3.7
|
Malawi
|
6.9
|
Alas, we Norwegians are doomed to live in the unhappy pursuit of the perfect life. Malawians don’t really care, but they are happy anyway. And it has nothing to do with money.