Starting from 2013, March 20 has been designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Happiness, with the aim of encouraging people of all ages, as well as businesses, classrooms, and governments, to recognise the significance of happiness in human existence. This day also serves as a reminder to strive for an economic growth strategy that is more inclusive, fair, and well-balanced, and prioritises the well-being and happiness of all individuals [1].

Today, at the 10-year mark of the celebration, I suggest we carefully review our lives and be honest: Are we truly happy right now, or at least, on the right path to sustainable happiness? 

Recently, I had a long conversation with a friend in Vietnam. We talked about many topics that couldn’t be solved by individuals. At first, I did not realise that such a discussion correlated to his anxiety and just shared my general view of everything he wanted us to discuss. After a few days (yes, we texted back and forth for days), however, I came to know that he was under pressure and couldn’t sleep for 2 days. That was when I decided to share my in-depth thoughts about his concerns. 

I guess he couldn’t find anyone else with whom he could talk about these topics, which prevented him from sleeping and urging him to hit the gym at 1 a.m., saying something like “I don’t think I’m productive enough today, so I must do something”. I shared this story with another friend here in the UK, and he said: “That’s how men usually do. Your friend keeps getting busy to self-isolate because he doesn’t want to get attached to anyone”, which means he’s trying to cope with difficulties alone. 

I was shocked. And I was angry. I couldn’t imagine what modern society has done to shape our minds into a little box in which we are persuaded to believe that life is all about earning money and stepping up the social ladder to feel safe and build mutual trust in our social circles. No one can deny the importance of financial stability, however, being obsessed with productivity, avoiding social connection, and ignoring our well-being isn’t a good way to get there. It’s time we measured the quality of our lives with a multi-dimensional approach such as Bourdieu’s theory of capital [2] instead of a single-dimensional approach such as Marx’s theory of capital [3]. 

Why is this important? 

Bear in mind that life is not a marathon, and we humans are not robots. By visualising a life we would like to live in and setting a clear goal to achieve that life, we will be motivated without being burned out. We will learn how to control our expectations and stop worrying too much about the future. We will work smarter, not harder, and feel okay asking for help whenever we need it. 

We will also realise that life is abundant and there are enough rewards for everyone, so there’s no need to rush or to compete with others to get what we want as soon as possible. We will trust the flow of life and only focus on what we can do, not the outcomes. We will be more relaxed and enjoy every moment of life with the faith that our effort pays off one day. 

Our time is limited, so don’t waste it just for surviving. Start living, now! 

Keep calm, and be happy!

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[1] Read more about the International Day of Happiness here: https://www.un.org/en/observances/happiness-day

[2] According to Bourdieu (1984), individuals belonging to diverse social positions have varying levels of three types of capital (not just one type): economic, social, and cultural. This means we should consider building up all these forms of capital to raise our social rank and increase the quality of our lives. In order words, “making money” isn’t enough since we also have to manage our time to “extend our social network” and “acquire new knowledge and skills”.

Follow this link for further explanation: https://www.sociologygroup.com/pierre-bourdieu-capital-explained/

[3] Marx’s idea of capital (1867) is only limited to the materialistic perspective, which refers to commodities or money. In other words, our social status is determined by the number of products and the amount of money we make. The essential element of labour, human resources, is completely ignored, leading to unsustainable economic development when not considering the life quality of humans. 

Unfortunately, we (probably more often, those in developing countries) are more familiar with this theory and therefore, can easily get caught up in the paradox of choice: work to live or live to work?

Follow this link for further explanation: 

https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/marx/section3/