For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of Happiness – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is happiness to you? They say money can’t buy happiness while others don’t agree with it. Well, is it about financial security, deep friendship or simply having a good plate of kachchi biriyani after a long week, or is it just having dinner with your family? Well, if I talk about me then a cup of “চা” can make me forget about all the worries!
In an era of watching people’s happy life on Instagram every day, self-help books promising “10 Steps to ultimate Happiness,” an endless list advices on choosing joy has started to feel more like a checkbox than a feeling.
On 20 March the world celebrates International Day of Happiness! A day dedicated to joy, positivity and finding fulfillment. Yes, happiness has an official day on the calendar. In 2012, the United Nations declared it, recognising that happiness is not just an emotion but a fundamental human goal. The initiative was first proposed by Bhutan, a country that measures its success not just by GDP but by Gross National Happiness – an idea that values well-being over wealth.
Since then, the day has been a global reminder that just economic growth isn’t enough. Social Connection, mental well-being, overall life satisfaction matters just as much.
Let’s explore few quiet overlooked happy moments in life!
It’s hidden in plain sight!
We often forget that happiness doesn’t always come in grand gestures. It hides in the everyday life, the simple, the ordinary, the overlooked.
“It’s the muktar biriyani from Khilgaon, heavenly! I think I get happy just the thought of it as the taste gives me joy like no other,” said Tehami a third-year student from NSU.
“It’s getting CNG on a budget right when I hoped to get one” said, Rafsan another NSU student.
We rarely count this as real happiness, because we have been taught that happiness means something, big loud and life-changing! When in reality, it’s often just being present.
Are we chasing happiness the wrong way?
Happiness today is almost like a capitalist product – packaged, marketed and sold us in the form of luxury, social status. But does wealth and economic growth truly guarantee happiness?
Bangladesh ranked 129th among 143 countries on the World Happiness Report 2024, marking Bangladesh as the 15th least happy country in the world. Finland on the other hand holds the top most position. So, it is understandable that luxury, economic growth isn’t the only thing that can make you happy. If that were the case why aren’t the richest countries automatically the happiest?
Think about it- how often do we compare our happiness with someone else’s? We see someone on vacation with friends, and suddenly, our Friday night at home feels boring. We see a friend get a high paying job, excelling in life and our small wins feel insignificant. But was happiness ever meant to be a competition!
Maybe we don’t need to chase happiness!
Instead of making happiness a race maybe we just need to slow down and notice it! Maybe happiness isn’t about finding it but realising that it was always there. So, from today instead of questioning am I happy enough?
Make a habit of asking,
What makes me smile today?
Who are the people I feel happiest around?
Have I paused long enough to enjoy the little things today?
Now over to you!
What made you happy recently? Look around you it’s absolutely there. If not then it soon will be.