Happiest Place in the World?

[Subala]

I thought it may be very interesting to share....

 

From - Daily thoughts, by Mukunda Goswami for his students....

 

>>>>

 

Happiest Place in the World?

 

Some of you will have seen Innertain.tv's "Happiest Place" item, and may have

wondered where they got their information from. The following article from The

Deccan Herald, a highly respected newspaper, was the source material.

 

"London: Would you believe it, Bangladesh is the happiest nation in the world!

The United States, on the other hand, is a sad story: it ranks only 46th in the

World Happiness Survey.

That's way behind India, the fifth happiest place in the world, and others

including Ghana and Latvia, Croatia and Estonia. Research led by London School

of Economics professors into the link between personal spending power and the

perceived quality of life has conclusively proved that money can buy everything

but happiness.

The study revealed that people in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries

in the world, derive far more happiness from their small incomes than, for

example, the British (32nd on the list) do from their relatively large bank

balances.

In fact, people in most rich countries including Austria, Netherlands,

Switzerland, Canada, Japan and others are much unhappier than their poorer

counterparts in countries like the Dominican Republic and Armenia.

Most unfortunate, however, are Russians and people in some other parts of

the former Soviet Union. They are neither rich nor happy, indicates the World

Happiness Survey.

Slovenia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria and

Moldova follow the United States in the list to bring up the rear. The study

shows that although the British have twice as much money to spend in real terms

compared with 40 years ago, their perceived quality of life has not improved.

Earlier surveys revealed that many Britons thought money could bring

happiness. The new study shows that such a link still exists in poor countries

because a small increase in income can mean large improvements in lifestyle.

However, beyond a certain income-level that direct

relationship breaks down. According to the research, happiness in rich countries

now is far more dependent on close personal relationships, good health and job

satisfaction.

"People in Britain are generally less happy than they were ten years ago.

Two-thirds would rather see the environment improved than have more economic

growth and personal spending money", said Robert Worcester, visiting professor

of government at the LSE and co-author of the study.

The researchers have concluded that although Britons are rich compared with

most other countries, many suffer from an emotional poverty caused by

consumerism and the breakdown of family life.

"We are being seduced by an economic juggernaut and our

personal needs are not being met", said Nic Marks, a social sciences researcher

at Surrey University who also worked on the report."

 

 

[gHari]

You will say that the Fellowship is the happiest place in all three worlds if you listen to this angel sing <A href=http://www.radiokrishna.com/rkc_archive_new/new%20music%203/Gaurangi%20dasi/RKC%20Live%20Stream%20-%20Gaurangi%20dasi%20-%20Magical%20Eclipse%201.mp3>G A U R A</A>

 

(More Gaurangi dasi here)

 

gHari

[Kulapavana]

that is why we need to increase our preaching in all these unhappy places! /images/graemlins/wink.gif