on happiness and the other things in between

Randy David’s column yesterday in The Inquirer talks of how Filipinos stay happy despite of the problems we continue to face each day. He said that it was a distinctive trait that we all possess compared to other cultures. I wish to believe that what he stated was true, that Filipinos remain jolly no matter what condition we are in. But seeing Kambas ng Lipunan video two weeks ago made me think otherwise. Could it be that what David explained in his column speaks for the upper class alone? To see the kids in the short film forced me to say that not everyone is happy, not everyone is capable of surviving and not everyone will be happy this Christmas. Filipinos may have managed to crack jokes or smile despite their problems, but those things do not necessarily mean they are happy. Maybe they were only means of escaping, even for a while, their harsh reality, but not to make things better. Where is happiness there?

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It’s only two days before Christmas and I can’t feel it coming yet. The air isn’t as cold as before. Something changed. Something seemed to be missing, but I cannot figure out what it is. Nonetheless, I am forcing the whole joyous Christmas spirit into my system. What’s Christmas without being happy right? And the happy issue once again. I wonder how happiness really feels; are surveys and statistics enough to say that I am happy and you are not? I tried answering the Happy Index and got a fairly average rate for a Filipino. Different cultures have their own different happiness-es, and if I am not mistaken, the Philippines have one of the highest rates compared to other third world countries. Anyway, the survey doesn’t speak for everyone and may not be as true as it says it is.

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Have a happy Christmas everyone! And as we open our presents on Christmas morning, may we all remember that there are more people out there who do not have gifts to open or a noche Buena to share. (Sorry, I had to include the last sentence, for the sake of a socially aware Christmas HAHA)