The International Day of Happiness is celebrated throughout the world today, March 20. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly on June 28, 2012. The International Day of Happiness aims to make people around the world realize the importance of happiness within their lives. In 2015, the United Nations launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals to make people's lives happier. Its main development goals are to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and protect our planet.
The United Nations invites people of all ages to join in celebrating the International Day of Happiness. Goa is a State which brings a smile to everyone's face in the country. Goa has consistently stood first among the small states in the country in the happiness index. But at an individual level is there a difference? A chat with members of the creative community is very revealing.
Savia Veigas, noted writer and painter, says she writes and paints because she is happy. She says, “I also think as you grow older as a woman, I find I define happiness on my own terms not with money and not related to anyone else like a spouse or children. It is an inner state of well-being where you want to give and use your time to define and pursue your own goals. There is enough bile and bad stuff coming from all over the universe: thoughtless wars, death and displacement that has enough ammunition to kill the humanity of the soul. It is perhaps laughter that will save humanity and by laughter I just don’t mean a belting out of decibels but a new approach wherein you embrace a holistic approach of giving, sharing life, love with no expectation in return. For the saving has to be not of the individual but the collective soul of humankind.”
For singer Sandy Gago her happy place is on stage, when it is time where everything else takes a back seat. She says, “As for releasing original recordings, one has to be inspired, anything can be an inspiration (love, pain, loss, happiness etc)... But then happiness truly lies when the project is released. Where a dream comes to fruition.”
Celio Mascarenhas from Chandor is a sculptor who believes that being happy is very important. He says, “When I am happy I do my creative work and for that matter my creative work makes me happy. I do more when I am happy. And yes, when people appreciate my work it makes me even more happy.”
Magdelena Moura, is a very talented flowermaker from Chandor. Making flowers makes her happy but the fact that she has to look after her differently abled sister weighs on her. This job ensures that she has money to place food on the table. She is getting orders but is unable to complete them because she does not have the money to buy raw materials. Life is a challenge she says but she is determined to forge ahead.
LeAnn Mesquita, a psychiatrist says, “Happiness is very important. It is subjective and it is important for the survival of the human race. It ensures we are motivated and we stay motivated and it is also important to find the meaning of life. Happiness improves your mood and the state of self-alignment when they are enjoying themselves the motivation comes to be productive.”
Salvius Sarkar from Navelim is a sculptor continuing what his family has been doing for several generations. He says, “My grandfather, my father and now I am doing this creative work. My income is dependent on my work. I am very happy when I work.”
Everyone likes to have these positive feelings. Besides feeling good, positive emotions do good things for our brains and bodies. They lower stress hormones, help ease anxiety and depression, and improve our immune system. Feeling some positive emotions every day has a big effect on our happiness and well-being. One's well-being is reliant on experiencing happiness from time to time. That is, experiencing positive, enjoyable emotions, and feeling connected to a sense of contentment in our lives. Experiencing happiness is important for our emotional and physical health.
A stronger sense of happiness and well-being has been shown to lead to better relationships, increase social connection and contribution to the lives of others, as well as contributing to healthier physical well-being.
It is better to feel happy than feel morose and depressed. Better to live life with a smile than a frown.