As I gazed upon

Dr Fahim Chand | Monday April 4, 2022 18:36

The artists in this performance were all clad in green. As I gazed upon my own regalia, I realised it was the same. Who was I in this production and while everybody performed the well choreographed moves, I remained rooted to the ground. Judging by her graceful movements, a seasoned player in this performance held my shoulders and ushered me to my proper position. While firmly a bit player in this magnificent show, I still remained clueless as to what was expected of me. As the main players gathered at centre stage the show began.

There was a frenzy of activity, though the dialogue remained brief and muted. As I looked around, an air of familiarity began to invade my psyche. I had been a performer on maybe not this stage but many like it. As I watched the orchestral movements unfold in front of me, an air of excitement permeated my psyche. And as the adrenaline gushed through my veins, I realised my role in this command performance. Though the air in this arena was cool, I felt warm as I awaited the climax of the show. A tune punctuated the air and startled me. Shrill and urgent, and after a brief silence it was there again. It continued punctuated by its nanosecond silences.

The adrenaline now raged through my veins as a moment of panic fluttered briefly. Then I moved forward cautiously, at once elated and afraid. As I approached the circle of light, the main player turned slightly and held his hands forward. I was mesmerised as I held my breath. And as the sonic onslaught continued, I realised it was the most perfect aria I had ever heard. Music is greatest when it stimulates emotion. As a tear appeared and continued its rapid descent, another came. And another. There was no stopping this deluge. But this song not only stimulated emotion but changed my physiology.

My own neurons did the impossible. They rerouted their juvenile paths and became rigid and true. This theatre was home to the greatest spectacle I had ever seen. It changed who I am and gave meaning to life. For today I witnessed the birth of my son. A moment etched in the most sacred corner of my hippocampus. A moment I would return to always. And a moment that permanently rewired my neural pathways. Even without the benefit of a dictionary definition, I now knew beyond the shadow of a doubt what happiness is. A feeling truly epitomised when my sons Ayaan and Azeem were born. But can we quantify happiness? Humankind has an obsessive compulsion to calibrate and rank everything. The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network just released their Global Happiness Index that draws on global survey data from 150 countries.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Gallup World Poll is the primary source of the data for the report. The measures that the agency uses to compile the report include: healthy life expectancy, GDP per capita, social support in times of trouble, low corruption and high social trust, generosity in a community where people look after each other and freedom to make key life decisions. Without further adieu, which country is the world’s happiest? For the fifth year in a row, it is Finland. Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Netherlands make up positions two to five respectively. The highest ranked African country is Mauritius at number 52. While we have experienced a calamitous two years with the world firmly on edge, there is some good news for humanity. The report has found that benevolence is surging globally. Maybe surprisingly, there have been very large increases in all three forms of benevolence.

Donating to charity, helping a stranger and volunteering are all up, especially the help to strangers in 2021 relative to before the pandemic or 2020, by a large amount in all parts of the world.

The global average of the three measures jumped by a whopping 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Who says there is no humanity left in the world today? But where did Botswana rank in the index. Out of the 146 countries ranked, we came in at position 142!!! Are we really that unhappy or maybe the organisation got it wrong? War-torn Yemen and dictator run Myanmar rank ahead of us.

A wide glance about our land would reveal a peaceful, stable country with a compassionate and well-educated population. Though masks are essential face coverings today, a stroll about our hallowed streets pre-Covid would disclose infinite smiles, children playing gleefully in our streets and neighbours sharing a hearty laugh. As with any country in the world, we have our share of problems, but not enough to turn our smiles upside down. So here I offer an open invitation to the Sustainable Development Solutions Network to visit our beautiful land and find the elusive happiness you seek. It’s been here all along, you just didn’t see it.