Are you happy? And does it matter?
How to be happy? And is it even important?
Big questions for a January afternoon. But is happiness the most important quality for you, or is there something bigger, deeper, more crucial? Let us know. You’ll make your Upside editor very, er, happy.
This week, we dipped in and out of this subject in typically scattergun fashion:
• Can you learn how to be happy? One-minute read.
• 24 hours when time stood still. Four-minute read, but take your time.
• The silver sharers finding rental contentment. One-minute read.
• The latest tome by the UK’s “happiness tsar”. Two-minute read.
Here on the Upside, we’d be tempted to suggest that, yes, there are more important qualities than simple happiness. The diminution of suffering might be one. Security and wellbeing might others. Fulfilment, purpose and achievement are all important to bring meaning to a life. And then there is the perfect cup of coffee …
Elsewhere, though not technically an Upside piece of work, our investigation into the ill-gotten gains of Africa’s richest woman appears to have had tangible upside results as Isabel dos Santos was named as a formal suspect in a criminal investigation.
Compare her to Britain’s youngest MP, who has opted to give away half her salary. And to the millionaires of Davos, insisting that they pay MORE tax.
Honestly, Isabel, how much is enough?
Lucky numbers
Japan has reduced suicide to record low levels. Ditto England and HPV infections.
Meanwhile, green shoots of the week: the share of renewable energy in Europe has more than doubled since 2004, to 18% today (pdf link). And China seems poised to slash the amount of single-use plastic that it churns out, as officials outlined a gradual ban.
What we liked
We were mildly encouraged by new research that has come up with a series of predictive tools that assess how likely a young person is to suffer from depression. Important, given how crucial prevention is as a tool to combat mental illness.
We’d also quite like to move to the Copenhagen neighbourhood built entirely of wood.
What we heard
Melvin Reynolds wrote in about vegan toothpaste, of all things.
Colgate may be the big brand but see Kingfisher Toothpaste to find out about a UK company that’s been at vegan toothpaste for years – albeit without flag-waving and claims to recyclable tubes as yet; though I saw a LinkedIn post on an independent developer of those recently too.
Pretty sure the old-style metallic tubes would have been recyclable too (presumably not now used because they are prone to creasing and consequent leaking).
Jehunita Mathews-Freeman responded to our piece about giving Liberian schoolkids a proper school lunch.
There is an organisation called Doctors Spouse Asso, which is trying to raise funds to put first aid boxes in the primary schools in Liberia. We are desperately looking for any help and support for that project.
If any reader would like to help Jehunita, do write in to the Upside, so we can put you in touch.
Where was the Upside?
At the Cardiff school where all pupils in one class got top marks in their maths exam.
And in the Belgian port that created a car-free city.
