On Good Morning America today there was a bit about in which countries the people are the happiest. Denmark came out Nr. 1, the USA Nr. 23. The reasons highlighted for the happiness in Denmark were a welfare system that "takes care of" poor people, government provided day care for children which allows especially single mothers to go out to work, availability of good food, and long vacations.
My wife, who is from Denmark, and I were back there 2001 - 2003 on a mission and were dismayed at the godlessness of Danes in general, a welfare system that encourages living on the dole, a disdain for marriage, and an invasion of immigrants demanding cultural changes to conform to their culture.
I guess each person's happiness comes in different ways. We certainly prefer the USA over any of the other countries we have lived in. What do you folks think makes a country a happy place to live in?
With the government doing so much for the people of Denmark, they have little to worry about themselves. They are zombie citizens. I wonder how much that stifles progress.
I bounced this off an LDS friend in Denmark who is a regional leader of the Danish Conservative Party. He replied:
"I've been to Greece and seen happier people, I've been to Norway and seen happier people. I don't know where that TV show had that from. I think it must be like statistics, it depend on how you ask and how you use the information. Many Danes are pretty stressed out, and it's getting worse every year. If we are the happiest country in the world, I would hate to se any other country in the world.
"The rich people in Denmark has gotten richer, the middel class has got a little more money, and the poor people in Denmark has got a lot less money. The survey must have been among the top and middle class."
Interesting, thought provoking comment by bobadok. How do you see it as propaganda?
My brother served his mission in Denmark (just before you were there, I believe) and it turned him away from ever living in Europe. Before that it was his dream to be an English professor at Oxford University.
I don't like statistics because it's impossible to get completely accurate results. It depends who you talk to and what day you talk to them on.
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Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.
— Oscar Wilde
To promote socialism as a desireable system: We would be happier here in the US if we give the government even more control over our lives. We would be happier if we would trade liberty for security.
They wouldn't need to include countries outside the EU to find the happiest country. It's a given that the rest of the world is less happy simply because they aren't European. It would be sufficient to find the happiest country in the EU--that must be the happiest country in the world.
By the way, I wonder if the lack of religion in Denmark contributed to the conclusion. Maybe the people conducting the study figured that since religion is so bad, countries with less religion would be be the happiest.
This comes from an LDS friend who immigrated to the US from Denmark a few years ago with his wife and 3 kids.
"I think that DK is a good green country, and I am proud of it in many ways. And I miss much of the healthy food available there. But: The health care system is better in quality and service in the states. The schools are better in the states. In DK the teachers don't allow parents to help out in the school. They spy on the teachers, they think... Its good to have almost free educations system, but there is quite often demonstration for better maintenance, the health system needs more money too. DK is/was a small homogen population, but you better adapt to the common trend and views ( gay marriages, atheist point of views, free sex and pornography everywhere), or people regard you as old fashion, lower intelligent beings. I miss the long vacation, and the public transportation, and goel poelser (good hot dogs). And a walk through downtown Copenhagen."
His wife has an at least equally strong preference for the USA.
This seems similar to the way they measure "best company to work for". It sounds interesting, but when you dig deeper they base it off of things like "homosexual friendly employee policy". In other words, their standards aren't always mine.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
What it all boils down to is this. Folks are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
I like life, Life like's me, Life and I fairly fully agree...
And if life were a woman she would be my wife, WHY? Why! Because I like life!
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no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
I love that song, Roper! My friend and I got $5 for singing at the lunch table back in high school!
I think it does just boil all down to that people have different perspectives on happiness.
Take the commandments for example: The Law of Chastity. Many people in the world find great "happiness" in breaking the law of chastity. They get the stimulation and rush and whatever else. However, we all know that eternal marriage and the prospect of eternal families and eternal happiness, makes those instants that some people base their happiness on, mean nothing.
Same things with drugs and alcohol. People find their "happiness" through drugs, when having a sound mind and using it to do good can bring far greater happiness. Satan tries so hard to convince people that they are happy in sin, but that happiness is nothing compared to what the Atonement can bring.
I would be really interested to see what they based their survey on.
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Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.
— Oscar Wilde
